* GIRL AVIATORS ‘ 

‘ AND THE 


PHANTOM AIRSHIP 

* MARGARET BURNHAM a 





COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 





































AT THE SAME INSTANT IT WAS SWUNG ABOUT AND BEGAN 
TO SPIRAL DOWN TO EARTH. 

—Page 65. 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 

AND 

THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


BY 

MARGARET BURNHAM 




NEW YORK 

HURST & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 







Copyright, 1911 , 

BY 

HURST & COMPANY. 


<■/ 


©CI.A233933 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Golden Butterfly . « ? .5 

II. Suspense and Achievement * . . 23 

III. The Clouds Gather ...... 38 

IV. Jess and Roy. .... . ... 51 
V. A Narrow Escape ..... 5 . 61 

VI. A Roadside Mystery 72 

VII. Peggy Is Puzzled ....... 85 

VIII. Hester’s Ruby . . « ..... 99 

IX. A Race Against Time . . . . .109 

X. The Rival Aeroplane * . . . .119 

XI. In Direst Peril 129 

XII. What Happened on the Island . . 142 

XIII. Jukes Dade Appears . . . * . . 153 

XIV. A Girl Aviator's Adventure . . .163 
XV. The Hermit of the Woods < . . .173 

XVI. The Enemy's Move . . * 5 . . 184 


3 


4 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 



PAGE 

XVII. 

A Coward and His Ways . 

» 

. . 194 

XVIII. 

The Daring of Peggy . • 

• 

* . 206 

XIX. 

Brother and Sister . * * 

« 

* . 217 

XX. 

In the Nick of Time . * * 

K 

* . 230 

XXL 

The Phantom Airship . * 

« 

• • 243 

XXII. 

Jim Bell of the West , • 


4 4 250 

XXIII. 

Like Thieves in the Night 

• 

• • 258 

XXIV. 

Hester Makes Amends — 




Conclusion . . « • 




The Girl Aviators and the 
Phantom Airship. 


CHAPTER I. 
the: gotden butte;re%y. 

“Roy! Roy! where are you?” 

Peggy Prescott came flying down the red- 
brick path, a rustling newspaper clutched in her 
hand. 

“Here I am, sis, — what’s up?” 

The door of a long, low shed at the farther 
end of the old-fashioned garden opened as a 
clattering sound of hammering abruptly ceased. 
Roy Prescott, a wavy-haired, blue-eyed lad of 
seventeen, or thereabouts, stood in the portal. 
He looked very business-like in his khaki trou- 
sers, blue shirt and rolled up sleeves. In his 
hand was a shiny hammer. 


5 


6 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


Peggy, quite regardless of a big, black smudge 
on her brother’s face, threw her arms around his 
neck in one of her “bear hugs,” while Roy, boy- 
like, wriggled in her clasp as best he could. 

“Now, just look here,” cried Peggy, quite out 
of breath with her own vehemence. She flour- 
ished the paper under his nose and, imitating 
the traditional voice of a town crier, announced : 

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! Roy Prescott 
or any of the ambitious aviators — now is your 
chance! Great news from the front! Third 
and last call!” 

“You’ve got auctioneering, the Supreme Court 
and war times, mixed up a bit, haven’t you?” 
asked Roy with masculine condescension, but gaz- 
ing fondly at his vivacious sister nevertheless. 

Peggy made a little face and then thrust forth 
the paper for his examination. 

“Read that, you unenthusiastic person,” she 
demanded, “and then tell me if you don’t think 
that Miss Margaret Prescott has good reason to 
feel somewhat more enthusiastic than comports 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 7 

with her usual dignity and well-known icy re- 
serve — ahem !” 

“Good gracious, sis!” exclaimed the boy, as 
he scanned the news-sheet, “why this is just 
what we were wishing for, isn't it? It's our 
chance if we can only grasp it and make good.” 

“We can! We will!” exclaimed Peggy, strik- 
ing an attitude and holding one hand above her 
glossy head. “Read it out, Roy, so that Mon- 
sieur Bleriot can hear it.” 

M. Bleriot, a French bull-dog, who had dig- 
nifiedly followed Peggy's mad career down the 
path, gazed up appreciatively, as Roy read out: 

“Big Chance for Sky Boys! 

“Ironmaster Higgins of Acatonick Offers Ten 
Thousand Dollars In Prizes for Flights and 
Planes.” 

“Ten thousand dollars, just think !” cried 
Peggy, clasping her hands one minute and the 
next stooping to caress M. Bleriot, “Oh, Roy! 
Do you think we could?” 


8 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Could what? you indefinite person?” parried 
Roy, although his eyes were dancing and he 
knew well enough what his vivacious sister was 
driving at. 

“Could win that ten thousand dollars, of 
course, you goose.” 

Roy laughed. 

“It’s not all offered in a lump sum,” he re- 
joined. “Listen; there is a first prize of five 
thousand dollars for the boy under eighteen who 
makes the longest sustained flight in a plane of 
his own construction — with the exception of the 
engine, that is; and here’s another of two thou- 
sand five hundred dollars to the glider making 
the best and longest sustained flight, and another 
of one thousand five hundred to the boy flying 
the most carefully constructed machine and the 
one bearing the most ingenious devices for per- 
fecting the art of flying and — and — oh listen, 
Peggy!” 

“I am — oh, I am!” breathed Peggy with half 
assumed breathlessness. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 9 

“There’s a prize offered for girls!” 

“No!” 

“Yes. Now don’t say any more that girls are 
downtrodden and neglected by the bright minds 
of the day. Here it is, all in black and white, a 
prize of a whole thousand to the young lady who 
makes a successful flight. There, what do you 
think of that?” 

“That Mr. Higgins is a mean old thing,” 
pouted Peggy, “five thousand dollars to the suc- 
cessful boy and only one thousand to the suc- 
cessful girl. It’s discrimination, that’s what it 
is. Don’t you read every day in the papers about 
girls and women making almost as good flights 
as the men? Didn’t a — a Mademoiselle some- 
body-or-other make a flight round the bell tower 
at Bruges the other day, and hasn’t Col. Roose- 
velt’s daughter been up in one, and isn’t there a 
regular school for women fliers at Washington, 
and — and ?” 

“Didn’t the suffragettes promise to drop 
‘Votes for Women’ placards from the air upon 


10 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

the devoted heads of the British Parliament, 
you up-to-date young person?” finished Roy, 
teasingly. 

Peggy made a dash for him but the boy 
dodged into the shed, closely followed by his 
sister. 

But as she crossed the threshold Peggy’s wild 
swoop became a decorous stroll, so to speak. 
She paused, all out of breath, beneath a spread- 
ing expanse of yellow balloon silk, braced and 
strengthened with brightly gleaming wires and 
stays, — one wing of the big monoplane upon 
which her brother had spent all his spare time 
for the past year. The flying thing was almost 
completed now. It stood in its shed, with its 
scarab-like wings outspread like a newly alighted 
yellow butterfly, which, by a stroke of ill luck, 
had found itself installed in a gloomy cage in- 
stead of the bright, open spaces of its native ele- 
ment. 

In one corner of the shed was a large crate 
surrounded by some smaller ones. The large 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 11 
one had been partially opened and Peggy gave a 
little squeal of delight as her eyes fell on it. 

“Oh, Roy, that’s it?” 

“That’s it,” rejoined the boy proudly, lifting 
a bit of sacking from the contents of the opened 
crate, “isn’t it a beauty?” 

The lifted covering had exposed a gleam of 
bright, scarlet enamel, and the glint of polished 
brass. To Roy the contents of that crate was 
the splendid new motor for his aeroplane. But 
to Peggy, just then, it was something far differ- 
ent. A bit of a mist dimmed her shining eyes 
for an instant. Her voice grew very sober. 

“Three thousand dollars — oh, Roy, it scares 
me!” 

Roy crossed the shed and threw an arm about 
his sister’s neck. 

“Don’t be frightened, sis,” he breathed in an 
assuring tone, “it’s going to be all right. Why, 
can’t you see that the very first thing that hap- 
pens is a chance to win $5,000?” 

“I know that. But that contest is not to come 


12 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

off for more than a month and — and supposing 

someone should have a better machine than 

you?” 

For an instant that air of absolute assurance, 
which truth to tell, had made Roy some enemies, 
and which was his greatest fault, left him. His 
face clouded and he looked troubled. But it 
was as momentary as the cloud-shadow that 
passes over a summer wheat field. 

“It’ll be all right, sis,” he rejoined, confidently, 
“and if it isn’t, I can always sell out to Simon 
Harding. You know he said that his offer held 
good at any time.” 

“I know that, Roy,” rejoined Peggy, seriously, 
“but we could never do that. We could neither 
of us go against father’s wishes like that He 
— well, Roy, it’s not to be thought of. Poor 
dad ” 

Her bright eyes filled with tears as her mind 
travelled back to a scene of a year before when 
Mr. Prescott had ceased from troubling with the 
affairs of this world, and commended his chil- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 13 
dren to the care of their maiden aunt — his sister 
with whom, since their mother’s death some 
years before, the little family had made their 
home. 

Poor Mr. Prescott had been that hopelessly 
impracticable creature — an inventor. Fortu- 
nately for himself, however, he had a small for- 
tune of his own so that he had been enabled to 
carry on his dreaming and planning without em- 
barrassing his family. Roy and Peggy had both 
been sent to good boarding schools, and had 
known, in fact, very little of home life after their 
mother’s death which had occurred several years 
before, as already said. 

Mr. Prescott, in his dreamy, abstract way, 
had cared dearly for his children. But those 
other children of his — the offsprings of his brain 
— that surrounded him in his workshop, had, 
somehow, seemed always to mean more to him. 
And so the young Prescotts had grown up with- 
out the benefit of home influences. 

On Peggy’s naturally sweet, vivacious charac- 


14 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

ter, this had not made so much difference. But 
Roy had developed, in spite of his real sterling 
worth and ability, into a headstrong, rather self- 
opinionated lad. His success at school in ath- 
letics and the studies which he cared about “mug- 
ging” at had not tended to decrease these quali- 
ties. 

It had come as a shock to both of them a 
year before when two telegrams had been de- 
spatched — one to Peggy’s school up the Hudson, 
and the other to Roy up in Connecticut, telling 
them to return to the Long Island village of 
Sandy Bay at once. Their father — that half- 
shadowy being — was very ill. 

The messages had not exaggerated the seri- 
ousness of the situation. Three days after his 
children reached his side Mr. Prescott gently 
breathed his last, dying as he had lived, so 
quietly, that the end had come before they real- 
ized it. But in those last brief moments Roy 
came to know his father better than ever be- 
fore. He learned that the dream of his parent 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 15 
had been to produce an aeroplane free from the 
defects of its forerunners, — a safe vehicle for 
passengers or freight. How far he had pro- 
gressed in this there was no time for him to tell 
before the end came. But Roy, interested al- 
ready in aeronautics at school, where he had 
been president of “The High Fliers" — a model 
aeroplane association, — eagerly took up his 
father's desire that he would try to carry on his 
work, and began to take lessons in flying. 

In the shed which had been Mr. Prescott's 
workshop the framework of an aeroplane al- 
ready stood. And with the aid of what money 
his father had left him, Roy had carried on the 
work till now it was almost completed. But the 
three thousand dollars which had gone for the 
motor had completely exhausted the lad's legacy. 
As Peggy put it, all their eggs were in an “aerial 
basket." 

But how much Peggy had aided him, in what 
had, in the last few months possessed all his 
thoughts, Roy did not guess. To what extent 


16 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

her encouragement had spurred him on to sur- 
mount seemingly unconquerable difficulties, and 
how she had actually aided him in constructing 
the machine, his ambition never realized. Not 
innately selfish, Roy was yet too used to having 
his own way to attribute his success to any one 
but himself. 

Sometimes, brave, loyal little Peggy, try as 
she might, could not disguise this from herself, 
and it pained her a good deal. But she had un- 
complainingly, ungrudgingly, aided her brother, 
without hoping for, or expecting, the apprecia- 
tion she sometimes felt she was really entitled 
to. But her great love for her brother kept 
Peggy from ever betraying to him or any one 
else an iota of her inner feelings. 

So intent had the brother and sister been on 
their talk that neither of them had noticed, while 
they conversed, that a big fore-door touring 
car, aglitter with gleaming maroon paint, and 
with a long, low hood concealing a powerful en- 
gine, had glided up to the white gate in the picket 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 17 
fence surrounding Miss Prescott's old fashioned 
cottage. 

From it a frank, pleasant-faced lad and an un- 
usually striking girl, tall, slender and with a 
glossy mass of black hair coiled attractively on 
her shapely head, had alighted. 

Hearing the sound of voices from the open 
door of the shed in which The Golden Butter- 
fly, as Peggy had christened it, was nearing 
completion, they, without ceremony, at once 
made their way toward it. Peggy, glancing up 
from her sad reverie at the sound of footsteps, 
gave a glad little cry as she beheld the visitors 
standing framed in the sunlight of the open 
door. While she and the tall, dark-haired girl 
mingled their contrasting tresses in an exuberant 
school-girl caress, the lad and Roy Prescott, 
were, boy fashion, slapping one another on the 
back and shaking hands with just as much en- 
thusiasm. 

“Why, if this isn't simply delightful, Jess, you 
dear old thing," cried the delighted Peggy, as, 


18 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

with both hands on her chum's shoulders, she 
held Jess Bancroft off at arm's length, the bet- 
ter to scrutinize her handsome face, “and Jimsy, 
too," as she turned to the lad with a bright smile 
of welcome; “wherever did you two come from?" 

“From the clouds?" demanded Roy. 

“No, hardly, although I don't wonder at your 
asking such a question," laughed Jess, merrily, 
exchanging greetings with Roy. “Roy Prescott, 
positively I can see your wings sprouting." 

They all laughed heartily at this, while Jess 
ran on to explain that she and her brother were 
stopping for the summer at Seaview Towers, a 
summer estate which their father, a Wall 
Street power, had leased for the season. Of 
course, explained the merry girl, who had been 
Peggy's closest chum at school, her first thought 
had been to take a spin over in her new motor 
car and look up her friends, for Roy and James 
— or Jimsy — Bancroft had been almost as close 
chums as the girls. 

“And -so this is the wonderful Golden Butter- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 19 
fly that you wrote to me about ?” exclaimed Jess 
enthusiastically after the first buzz of conversa- 
tion subsided. 

“Yes, this is it,” said Roy with great satisfac- 
tion in his tones, “and I’m proud of it, I can tell 
you. I think I’ve made a success of it.” 

Jess and Jimsy exchanged glances. And then 
Jess stole a look at Peggy, but no cloud had 
crossed the face of Roy’s sister. 

“Oh, you darling,” thought Jess, “you’re too 
sweet for anything. I just know how much you 
contributed to the Golden Butterfly’s existence, 
and yet you won’t detract a bit from Roy’s self 
satisfaction.” 

As for Jimsy Bancroft, he said nothing. He 
glanced rather oddly at Roy for an instant. 
Then his eyes turned to Peggy’s face. Perhaps 
they dwelt there for rather a long period of 
time. At any rate, they were still fixed on her 
brave beauty when a sudden shadow fell across 
the stream of sunlight that poured into the open 
portal of the workshop. 


20 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Ah! So this is the place in which young 
genius finds its habitation;” grated out a rather 
harsh, unpleasant voice. 

They all looked up. Perhaps none of them — 
Jimsy least of all — was pleased at the interrup- 
tion. The newcomer was a tall, angular man, 
with a withered, clean-shaven face, — what Peggy 
called a “money making face”; and surely that 
described Simon Harding, as he stood there in 
his black, none-too-new garments, and his 
square-toed shoes. One could fairly catch the 
avaricious glint in his eyes as he squinted rapidly 
over the new aeroplane’s outlines. 

By his side stood a youth who was, so far as 
dress went at any rate, the exact opposite of the 
elder man. Fanning Harding — or Fan as he 
was usually called — was dressed in elaborate mo- 
toring costume. His goggles, of the latest and 
most exaggerated design, were shoved up off 
his countenance now, exposing to view a good 
looking browned face. It was marred, however, 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 21 
by the same restless, strained look that could be 
seen on his father's visage. 

"We're not intruding, I hope," he hastened to 
say, coming forward with a cordiality that 
seemed somewhat forced. 

"Not in the least," said Peggy, hastily, realiz- 
ing that none of them had perhaps looked very 
cordial, "won't you come in?" 

Fan Harding, bestowing .an admiring glance 
on her, seemed to be about to accept. His father, 
however, struck in: 

"I'll leave you with the young folks, my boy, 
while I go up to the house. I have some business 
with Miss Prescott." 

As he shuffled off, Peggy and Roy exchanged 
somewhat uneasy glances. What business could 
this old man — in some respects a power finan- 
cially and otherwise in Sandy Beach — have with 
their aunt? 

"Say Peggy," spoke up Fan Harding, sudden- 
ly, "ain't you going to introduce me to your 
friends ? And how about inviting us all to have 


22 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

some of those strawberries Pop and I noticed as 

we came down the path?” 

“Well, he isn’t a bit backward about coming 
forward!” thought Jess as the young people, 
with due formality, went through the ceremony 
of introductions. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


23 


CHAPTER IL 

SUSPENSE AND ACHIEVEMENT. 

It was a week after Fan Harding's visit to 
the Prescott home, on one windless, steamy 
morning, when the pearl-gray mist still lay in 
the smooth hollows running back from the coast, 
that The Golden Butterfly was wheeled out of 
her cocoon — so to speak — and dragged up the 
hillside at the back of the white, green-shuttered 
cottage. Miss Prescott, a sweet-faced old lady, 
whose cheek was still blooming despite the pass- 
age of the years, stood on the back porch of the 
house watching the process. 

If Miss Prescott's face had been somewhat 
less cheerful than usual since her talk with Mr. 
Harding, all the clouds had been chased from 
it now. She watched as eagerly as a girl while 
Roy and Peggy, aided by Jess and Jimsy and 
two other lads, friends of Roy's from the vil- 


24 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


lage, dragged the brand new aeroplane up the 
hillside. 

The excited chatter and laughter of the young 
folks rang out merrily as they worked — for it 
was work to get the ’plane, light as it was, up 
the grade. Fortunately — for Roy had no desire 
of a crowd to witness his initial ascent in the 
new ’plane — the Prescott house was some dis- 
tance out of the village, and there were no near 
neighbors. The place had, in fact, once been a 
farm house, and although the acreage still was in 
the possession of Miss Prescott it was not 
worked. 

A more ideal place for flying could not be 
imagined. Smooth slopes — un wooded, except in 
clumps — were all about. To the north glim- 
mered the sparkling waters of Long Island 
Sound, while to the south stretched fertile farm- 
ing land, devoted to crop-raising and pasturage. 

Very business-like the young people looked as 
they hauled the monoplane up the hill. Roy and 
Jimsy wore leather puttees, trousers fashioned 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 25 
somewhat like riding breeches, and leather coats. 
On their heads were caps of the latter material, 
well padded within and provided with visors 
pierced with goggles. 

The girls wore shirt waists, outing skirts and 
“sensible” walking boots. Jess had on her 
“Shaker” motoring bonnet, in which she looked 
very captivating indeed. Peggy’s glossy hair, 
unadorned, but tightly confined in a net, formed 
her hair covering. Both girls were all a-tiptoe 
with excitement, for although Roy had had ex- 
perience with aeroplanes, and so, in a limited 
way, had Jimsy, this feature of the sport was 
new to them. 

At last the summit was reached, and Roy, 
after calling a halt, took a brief but comprehen- 
sive survey of the Golden Butterfly. This done, 
he climbed into the chassis — or body — of the 
thing, and leaning over the machinery he rapidly 
tested all the adjustments and examined the lu- 
bricating devices to see that all was in order. 
Everything appeared to be. 


26 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Well/* said Roy, with some self complacency, 
stepping out of the machine, “everything seems 
to be ready for the initial flight of the Golden 
Butterfly, my lords and gentlemen/' 

“And ladies, if you please," put in Jess, in a 
voice that was vibrant with excitement, despite 
her endeavor to keep calm. 

“And ladies," added Roy, with a gallant bow in 
her direction. 

Peggy in the meantime, like an anxious little 
mother fussing over dolls, had been examining 
the aeroplane once more. Suddenly she gave a 
little cry. The exclamation interrupted Roy who 
was explaining, with great satisfaction, that 
everything was all right. 

“I’ve looked it over and if there had been 
anything wrong it couldn’t have escaped my no- 
tice," he observed rather pompously. 

“Oh, Roy! Just look here! The spring of 
this landing wheel is all slack!" 

This was the exclamation from Peggy that 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 27 
brought up Roy somewhat shortly in the midst 
of his self-confident harangue. 

“By George, so it is, sis !” exclaimed Roy, red- 
dening a little, while Lem Sidney, one of his 
chums, observed with a chuckle to Jeff Stokes, 
that Peggy appeared to know as much, if not 
more, about the machine than did Roy. 

The spring was soon tightened by means of 
a monkey wrench. But that did not prevent 
them all realizing that had it not been for 
Peggy’s acute observation a serious accident 
might have occurred. This done, even Peggy’s 
anxious glances could not detect any other flaw 
in the machine. 

“What time did that aviator fellow say he 
would show up?” then demanded Jimsy, abrupt- 

!y- 

“He should be here now,” rejoined Roy. “I’ve 
half a mind to start anyhow. I can manage the 
machine I am very certain.” 

“Oh, Roy!” cried Peggy, reprovingly, “you 


28 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


know you promised aunty that you wouldn’t 
do anything till Mr. Hal Homer got here.” 

“All right, sis,” put in Roy, hastily, “don’t be 
scared. I’ll stick to my word.” 

“Hullo!” cried Jimsy, suddenly, “there comes 
an auto now.” 

“So it is,” exclaimed the others, as a black 
touring car* came whizzing down the road below 
them. It soon halted, and a figure in leather 
garments with gaitered legs alighted and hast- 
ened across the fields toward the party clustered 
about the aeroplane. The car was left in charge 
of the chauffeur. 

As Jimsy had guessed, the new arrival proved 
to be Hal Homer, the well-known cross country 
flier, from whom Roy had taken some vacation 
time aviation lessons. 

“He’s awfully good looking,” whispered Jess 
to Peggy, after introductions to the dapper 
young aviator had been extended by Roy. 

“Oh, so — so,” rejoined Peggy, with a toss of 
her head. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 29 

“Maybe you know some one who is hand- 
somer ?” questioned Jess with a mischievous side 
glance of her fine eyes. 

Peggy flushed under her fair skin. But Jess 
laughed with good-humored raillery. 

“Jimsy surely is a good-looking boy,” she said, 
“if he hadn’t a pug nose.” 

“A pug nose!” flared up Peggy. “Oh, Jess, 
how can ” 

Then she stopped short in confusion while 
Jess laughed the more at her discomfiture. 

Young Mr. Homer lost no time in starting 
operations. He ordered his helpers to secure the 
machine to ’a small tree growing nearby by 
means of a stout rope Roy had brought with him. 
This done, and the monoplane thus secured from 
flying away when her engine was started, he 
set the sparking and gasolene levers and threw 
in the switch. Roy and Jimsy, the latter acting 
under Roy’s instructions, flew to the propeller. 

The Golden Butterfly being a monoplane, this 
was in front of the machine. 


30 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Be careful when you feel it start, to leap 
aside/' warned Roy, “or you might be be- 
headed." 

“I never lose my head in an emergency," joked 
Jimsy. 

But just the same his heart beat, as did those 
of all of them but Hal Homer's, as he and Roy 
started to swing the great shiny wooden driving 
appliance. 

Once, twice, three times they swung it round, 
exerting all their force. The fourth time they 
were rewarded by a feeble sigh from the en- 
gine — a sixty horse power motor. 

All at once — Bang! 

“Let go !" yelled Roy, jumping backward. 

Jimsy in his hurry to obey stumbled and fell 
backward in a heap. He rolled some distance 
down the hill unnoticed, before he succeeded in 
stopping his motion. In the meantime the others 
— even Peggy — were too absorbed in the sight 
before them to watch Jimsy. 

Simultaneously with the sharp report the pro- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 31 
peller had whirled around swiftly. The next in- 
stant it was a mere gray blur, while a furious 
wind from its revolving blades swept the on- 
lookers. Blue smoke spurted from the exhausts, 
mingled with flame, and the uproar was terrific. 

The Golden Butterfly, like a thing of life, 
struggled at her moorings. The rope stretched 
and strained, taut as a violin string, under the 
pull. But it held fast, and after a while Aviator 
Homer slowed down the engine and finally 
stopped it, after adjusting a miss-fire in one of 
the cylinders. As the propeller became once 
more visible and then came to a stop, the boys 
broke into cheers, while the girls, too, voiced 
their enthusiasm. 

“Oh, Peggy, isn’t it a darling!” cried Jess. 

“Aeroplanes are not usually called 'darlings/ ” 
responded Peggy with assumed severity, “but — 
oh, Jess, it’s — it’s — a jewel and ” 

“I’m dying for a ride in it!” burst in Jess. 

“Then if you will consent to live a little longer 


32 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

I hope to have the pleasure of saving your life,” 
put in Roy, gallantly. 

“Oh, Roy ! I can ride in it now !” gasped Jess, 
while Peggy clasped her hands and snuggled up 
close to her chum. 

“Well, no, hardly just yet/' laughed Roy, “but 
after Homer has tested her thoroughly out I 
guess you girls can take a spin.” 

“You know I’m going to learn to handle one,” 
declared Peggy, as Roy made off once more. “I 
know a good deal about the theoretical part of 
it already.” 

“Well, theory wouldn’t do you much good in a 
mile-long tumble,” quoth Jess, sagely. 

“Nonsense,” rejoined Peggy. “Mr. Homer 
says one is as safe in an aeroplane, if one is 
careful, as in an auto.” 

“Safer I guess, the way that brother of mine 
drives sometimes,” replied Jess. “He calls it 
‘burning up the road.’ But — oh, look, they’re 
casting off, or whatever it is you do to an airship 
when you turn her loose. Oh !” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 33 

Snatching off her motoring bonnet Jess began 
waving it furiously. While they had been talk- 
ing the rope had been cast loose, and now, with 
Mr. Homer himself at the driving wheel, in 
cap and goggles, the engine was being started 
once more. 

In wrapt excitement both girls stood breath- 
less. So intent were they cn the scene transpir- 
ing before them that they had not noticed the 
approach of a second auto on the road below. 
From it Fan Harding had alighted and hastened 
up the hill, after “parking” his machine, as if in 
fear that he would be too late to view the pro- 
ceedings. 

A sneering look was on his rather handsome 
face as he rapidly climbed the hill. He reached 
a position behind the two girls just as the avia- 
tor gave the signal to let go of the machine — to 
the rear ’structure of which Lem Sidney and 
Jeff Stokes were perspiringly clinging, their 
heels digging into the soft turf to steady them- 
selves. 


34 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

As Mr. Homer’s hand swung backward and 
downward they let go. Instantly, like an arrow 
from a bow, the monoplane — the work of Peggy 
and Roy — was off. How it scudded across the 
hill top! Blue smoke and flame shot from its 
exhaust. Its operator sat hunched over his ma- 
chinery looking, with his goggles, like some crea- 
ture of the lower regions. Peggy clasped her 
hands and stood a-tiptoe breathlessly as it 
scudded along. 

“Oh, will it rise ?” she breathed, her color com- 
ing and going in her excitement. 

“I’ll bet ten dollars it won’t fly any more than 
an earthworm.” 

Peggy turned swiftly, indignantly. Her color 
flamed and her eyes blazed angrily. Jess, hardly 
less indignant at the sneering tone and words, 
also faced about. 

“Good morning, girls,” said Fan Harding, 
easily, raising his motoring cap nonchalantly, “I 
came to see the ascension, but I’m afraid that 
it’s going to be a descension.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 35 

“I think you’re hateful to talk like that,” cried 
Peggy, angrily, stamping her foot. "Our aero- 
plane will rise. It just will, I tell you — oh, 
gracious !” 

She broke off in confusion and stood aghast 
for a moment. The swiftly scudding aeroplane 
had stopped its skittering over the grass and had 
come to an abrupt stop at a distance of about 
five hundred yards. 

Already the boys were running across the 
turf toward it at top speed. The girls could see 
Mr. Homer clambering out of the chassis as the 
machine came to a standstill. 

"Ha! Ha! just as I thought,” chuckled Fan 
Harding, viciously, "that thing is a dead fail- 
ure.” 

Poor Peggy, tears in her eyes at this seeming 
disaster, was stung fairly out of herself. She 
switched round on Fan Harding with a sudden- 
ness that made her skirt fly out and that young 
gentleman step precipitately backward. 

"It isn’t a failure, Fan Harding,” she cried, 


36 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

with blazing eyes. “How dare you come here to 
sneer at us. We didn't invite you. Oh, I 
could ” 

But Jess had seized her arm and succeeded in 
checking Peggy just in time. She whispered 
something to the indignant girl, who, with a 
scornful look at Pan Harding, turned and, with 
her friend, ran lightly off toward the stranded 
aeroplane. 

“By Jove, I really thought for a minute she 
was going to slap my face," chuckled Fan Hard- 
ing to himself. “How pretty she is when she is 
angry. But I guess if she knew what I do about 

certain affairs she wouldn't be quite so fresh with 

- >> 
me. 

He cast a glance at the aeroplane around 
which the anxious young people were now clus- 
tering thickly. 

“If that thing is a success," he mused, as he 
strode off to join them, “so much the better for 
me. I think I could use an aeroplane. I don't 
see why I should let Roy Prescott beat me out 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 37 
at anything. Ah! They've started the engine 
again and — by ginger, she's rising! She's go- 
ing up ! She's flying !" 

The small irregularity in the working of the 
engine, which had brought the plane to a stop, 
had been quickly remedied. Even Fan Hard- 
ing, little as he liked Roy, could not help but join 
in the cheers as the Golden Butterfly, swinging 
in an easy circle, began to climb — higher and 
higher toward the fleecy clouds that flecked the 
blue dome above. 

As for Peggy, she jumped up and down in 
her enthusiasm till her golden hair was tumbling 
in a tangle about her pink shells of ears. 

“Oh, goody! goody! goody!" she squealed in 
the intensity of her joy. 


38 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER III. 

THE CLOUDS GATHER. 

“And so unless we can raise that money some- 
how within a short time we shall have to leave 
dear old Shadyside !” 

It was Roy who spoke, in troubled tones, some 
days after the successful flight of the Golden 
Butterfly. They were seated in the cool-looking 
living room of Miss Prescott’s home. The sun 
filtering in through the Venetian blinds, fell in 
patches on the polished floors — Peggy’s work, 
for Miss Prescott’s circumstances had been for 
some time too straitened to afford the servants 
she formerly had. But she had kept all knowl- 
edge of her struggle from her nephew and neice, 
until now the time had arrived when she felt that 
she could conceal no longer the object of old 
Sam Harding’s visit to her. 

The old man, among other things, was Presi- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 39 
dent of the Sandy Bay Bank. This bank, al- 
though the children did not know it, had long 
held a mortgage on Miss Prescott's property. 
The kindly, sweet-souled lady had incurred the 
debt to forward her brother's dreams. For poor 
Mr. Prescott had always been “just on the verge 
of making a fortune." Mr. Harding's errand 
was to state that the interest being long over- 
due and there being no immediate prospect of 
settlement the bank would have to foreclose. 
The real reason for this anxiety, which of course 
Miss Prescott, simple-minded lady, could not 
know, was, that a real estate concern wanted to 
purchase the property to erect a summer colony. 

“But what of my securities in and 

and ?" inquired poor Miss Prescott, who 

really knew no more of business than Peggy's 
French bull dog. 

“In the depressed state of the market that 
class of securities are worth nothing, madam," 
was the response, “in addition, though I have 
refrained from telling you so till now, your 


40 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

account at the bank is much overdrawn. How- 
ever, ” he had continued, “to show you that we 
mean to be fair with you we will say nothing 
about that, but unless the bank gets its interest 
we must have the land.” 

It was Miss Prescott's relation of the true 
state of affairs to Roy and Peggy that sunny 
afternoon that had brought forth Roy's exclama- 
tion recorded at the beginning of this chapter. 

“But, auntie,” burst out Peggy, blankly, 
“does the man mean to say that there is noth- 
ing, absolutely nothing, on which we can realize 
anything?” 

Miss Prescott shook her head slowly. 

“There is nothing we can do,” she rejoined, 
sadly. “We shall have to leave dear old Shady- 
side and the land will be cut up and sold to 
strangers. Land which the first Prescott settled 
on and which has been in the family ever since. 
Oh, dear!” and Miss Prescott, never the most 
strong-minded of women, drew out her handker- 
chief and began to sniff ominously. Peggy, 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 41 
looking bewitchingly pretty in a simple muslin 
frock, wrinkled her forehead seriously. 

“It can’t — it simply can’t be as bad as all 
that,” she persisted. “We can raise the money 
somehow.” 

“Five thousand dollars!” cried Miss Prescott. 

“Phew! That is a lot of money,” from Roy. 
But Peggy had jumped up from her chair. 

“The contest, Roy! The contest!” she was 
exclaiming. “We must write this very day for 
particulars. If the Golden Butterfly can win 
that prize ” 

“By Jove, sis, it’s five thousand dollars, isn’t 
it?” burst out Roy, almost equally excited. “I’d 
forgotten all about it up till now. What an idiot 
I am. If only ” 

He stopped short suddenly, struck by a de- 
pressing thought. Probably there were plenty 
of machines, most of them far better than the 
Golden Butterfly, entered in the contest which 
they had read about. His enthusiasm died 


42 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


away — as was the way with Roy — almost as 
quickly as it had flamed up. 

But Peggy would not hear of hesitation. She 
made Roy sit down that very night and write 
to the committee in charge of the Higgins’ prize. 
Under her brave, independent urgings things 
began to look brighter. It was a fairly cheerful 
party that sat down to a simple supper that 
evening. 

“Oh, dear,” sighed Peggy, in the course of 
the meal, “if only I knew some one who needed 
a bright young woman* to run an aeroplane, how 
I’d jump at the job.” 

“You ought to get a high salary at it any- 
how,” rather dolefully joked Roy. 

“And make a high jump, too,” laughed Peggy ; 
“but seriously, auntie, I can run the Butterfly 
almost as well as Roy. Mr. Homer said so be- 
fore he left. He said: ‘Well, Miss Prescott, 
I’ve taught you all I know about an aeroplane. 
The rest lies with you, of course.’ ” Peggy went 
on modestly: “I could run an auto before. I 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 43 
learned on the one that Jess had at school, so 
it really wasn't hard to get to understand the 
engine. Don't you think I'm almost as good a 
— " Peggy paused for a word — “a — sky-pilot!" 
she cried triumphantly, “as good a sky pilot as 
you are, Roy?" 

“Almost," modestly admitted Roy, his mouth 
full of strawberry shortcake, “but never mind 
about that now, sis. There are more important 
things to be thought of than that. I'm going 
into town to-morrow for two things. One is to 
see Mr. Harding myself. It takes a man to 
tackle these things " 

“Oh, dear!" sniffed Peggy. 

“The other bit of business I have to attend 
to," went on Roy, “is to get a position. It's time 
I was a breadwinner." Roy thought that 
sounded rather well and went on — “a bread- 
winner." 

“Oh, Roy!" cried his aunt, admiringly, “do 
you think you'll be able to get a position?" 

“Without a doubt, aunt," rejoined Roy, con- 


44 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

fidently; “no doubt several business houses 
would be glad — to have me with them,” Roy 
was going to say but he thought better of it and 
concluded, “to give me a chance.” 

Peggy said nothing, which rather irritated 
the boy. He concluded, however, that being a 
girl, she could hardly be expected to appreciate 
the responsibilities of the man of the household. 
For since that afternoon and its disclosures, Roy 
had, in his own mind, assumed that important 
position. 

Somewhat to Roy’s surprise he found no diffi- 
culty in obtaining access to Mr. Harding at the 
bank. On the contrary, had he been expected 
he could not have been ushered into the old 
man's presence with greater promptness. He 
stated his business briefly and straightfor- 
wardly. 

“Now, Mr. Harding,” he concluded, “is there 
no way in which this matter can be straight- 
ened out?” 

The old man, in the rusty black suit, picked up 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 45 
a pen and began drawing scrawly diagrams on 
the blotter in front of him. Apparently he was 
in deep thought. But had Roy been able to 
penetrate that mask-like face he would have 
been startled at what was passing in Simon 
Harding's mind. At last he spoke : 

“I understand that you have built an aero- 
plane which is a success?" he questioned. 

“That’s right, sir," said Roy, flushing proudly; 
“but the ideas we put into it were my father’s — 
every one of them. He practically made it his 
life work, you see, and " 

“And you beggared yourself carrying those 
ideas out, eh?" snarled the old man. “Oh, you 
need not look astonished. I know all about your 
affairs. More than you think for. And now 
having expended a wicked sum for the engine 
of this flying thing where do you expect to reap 
your profit?" 

Roy was rather taken aback. In the past 
days — since the first wonderful flight of the 
Golden Butterfly — he had not given much 


46 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

thought to that part of it. He realized this now 
with a rather embarrassed feeling. Old Hard- 
ing eyed him keenly. 

“Why — father, before he died, spoke of the 
government, sir. He wanted the United States 
to have the benefit of the machine if it proved 
successful.” 

“Bah!” sneered old Harding, scornfully, “a 
mere visionary dream of an inventor. Now I 
have a business proposition to make to you. I 
myself am interested in aeroplanes — or rather 
in their manufacture.” 

“You, Mr. Harding!” Roy looked his aston- 
ishment. The last vehicle in the world one 
would have thought of in connection with “Old 
Money Grubber,” as he was sometimes called, 
was an aeroplane. If he had been given to such 
things Roy would have concluded the old man 
was joking. 

“Yes, sir,” snapped Mr. Harding, “I am. But 
not directly. It's on Fanning’s account. He 
tells me that he has a chance to organize a com- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 47 
pany to give aeroplane exhibitions and also to 
manufacture them. But he has not been able 
to find a suitable machine, or one that was not 
fully covered by patents till he saw yours in 
flight the other day.” 

Suddenly he raised his voice : 

“Fanning! Come here a minute.” 

Almost immediately, through a door which 
Roy had not hitherto noticed, but which evi- 
dently led into an adjoining office, the figure of 
Simon Harding’s son appeared. To his cha- 
grin, Roy realized that almost every word he 
had said to the father must have been overheard 
by the son. 

Young Harding, who was dressed in a flashy 
gray suit, with trousers rolled up very high to 
exhibit electric blue socks of the same hue as 
his necktie, greeted Roy, who felt suddenly very 
shabby and insignificant, with a patronizing nod. 

“Sorry you’re in difficulties, Roy,” he said, 
“but you never were a business chap even at 
school.” 


48 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

The memory of certain monetary transactions 
in which young Harding had been concerned 
occurred to Roy. The other's patronizing air 
angered him. He would have liked to make 
some sharp, meaning retort. But the thought of 
Peggy and his aunt restrained him. Roy was 
beginning to learn fast. 

“You needn't bother to tell me anything about 
the case," went on the younger Harding. “I ac- 
cidentally overheard all that you said. Now, 
Roy, my father has stated the case to you cor- 
rectly. I've got a chance to make money with 
aeroplanes if I can only get hold of a new model. 
You've got just what I want." 

“Come to the point, my boy, come to the 
point," urged his father. 

“I'm getting there, ain't I ?" snarled the duti- 
ful son. “Well, Roy, you're in pretty tight 
straits. We can foreclose on that mortgage 
any day we want to. But we won't do it if you 
give us a square deal. Forget the government. 
Make a deal with us consigning to me the right 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 49 
to manufacture and exhibit those aeroplanes and 
I’ll set aside that mortgage and give you a 
thousand dollars to boot/’ 

“And suppose I won’t accept that offer?” 
asked Roy, slowly. 

“Then we shall have to go ahead and fore- 
close. We want that land anyhow, but I am 
even more anxious to set up my son in a pay- 
ing business,” exclaimed old Harding. “Our 
offer is a fair one. It amounts to giving you 
six thousand dollars for a thing of canvas, wire 
and clockwork.” 

“Rather more than that, sir,” said Roy, in 
a steady voice, although he was inwardly blaz- 
ing. 

“Well, what do you say?” asked Fanning, 
eagerly. “We’ll draw up the papers right now 
if you say so.” 

But Roy was learning fast. He knew that 
the offer just made him had been an inadequate 


one 


50 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“I’d like to have time to think it over/’ he 
said, hesitatingly. 

“Take all the time you want,” said old Hard- 
ing, with a wave of his shrivelled, claw-like hand. 

But Fanning did not seem so pleased. It 
flashed across his mind that Roy wanted to con- 
sult with Peggy, and somehow Fanning felt that 
in that case his offer would meet with refusal. 
He therefore resolved to put in a heavy blow. 

“But I want to start at once,” he said. “I 
can’t wait any length of time. When you think 
that if you don’t accept my offer you’ll all be 
without a roof over your heads I should think 
that for the sake of your sister and your aunt 
you’d accept.” 

“They’ll never be in that position while I 
can work,” rejoined Roy, with a flushed face. 
He rose and picked up his hat. Somehow he 
felt that he could not stand Fanning very many 
minutes more. 

“Yes, very fine talk, but what can you do?” 
snarled Simon Harding. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


51 


CHAPTER IV. 

JESS AND ROY, 

Roy flung back some sort of answer and has- 
tened out of the office. As he made his way up 
the sunny street outside, however, he could not 
get out of his mind the words of Simon Hard- 
ing. After all, they were true; “what could he 
do ?” Mentally, as he walked along, Roy ran over 
the list of his accomplishments. He came to 
the conclusion that aeroplane building and fly- 
ing was where his greatest strength lay. But 
how was he to proceed to make money with his 
knowledge ? 

At this point in his meditations, when, un- 
noticed, he had almost reached the end of the 
elm-shaded village street, a loud “Honk ! Honk !” 
suddenly startled him. 

He looked up, and his gloom vanished like a 
summer cloud as' he saw smiling down on him 


52 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


from the driver’s seat of the big auto which had 
just rolled up beside him, the sunny countenance 
of Jess Prescott. She was in automobile attire 
and looked unusually attractive. 

"Oh, I am so glad I’ve run across you/’ she 
exclaimed. 

"You almost did,” laughed Roy. 

"Did what?” 

"Run across me, of course,” was the response. 
"But what are you doing in town ? And driving 
your own car, too. Where is Jimsy?” 

"Oh, he had to do an errand for father.” 

"And so you are acting as chauffeur?” 

"Yes, don’t I make a nice one?” 

"You certainly do,” rejoined the lad with a 
great deal of emphasis. 

"Well, that being the case, you are com- 
manded to jump in by me at once. I’ve got an 
errand or two to do and then I’m driving home. 
We’ll go by your place and I can drop you 
there.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


53 


“That’s very good of you ” began Roy, 

but Jess cut him short. 

“It’s really selfish,” she exclaimed. “I was 
looking for an escort. I really need one. You 
haven’t got a revolver with you, have you?” 

“Good gracious,” exclaimed the astonished 
boy as he climbed into the big car ; “no, of course 
not. Whatever do you want one for?” 

“Why,” confided Jess, as they sped along, 
“I’m on my way to the bank. Mother is going 
to a big dinner party to-night and I volunteered 
to fetch out her jewels for her from the safe 
deposit vault where she keeps them.” 

“And you were afraid of robbers holding you 
up?” 

“Of course not,” laughed the girl, skillfully 
dodging a vagrant dog that sped across the 
road in front of the big car; “but just the same, 
I’m glad to have a nice big boy like you with 
me. You see, some of the jewels are very valu- 
able, and one never knows what migh,t hap- 
pen.” 


54 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“No,” agreed Roy; “but in broad daylight, on 
the road between Sandy Bay and your home, 
there could hardly be any risk. For instance, 
who would know that you had valuables in the 
car?” 

“Nobody, except some of the servants at 
home probably,” responded Jess. “But here's the 
bank.” 

As she spoke she skillfully manipulated her 
levers and pedals and brought the car to a stop 
against the curb as neatly as any driver could 
have accomplished it. 

The car had hardly come to a stop before the 
bank door flew open and Fanning Harding 
emerged, his features drawn up into what he 
meant to be a pleasing smile, but which more 
resembled a smirk. 

Jess, ignoring his proffered hand, leaped light- 
ly to the sidewalk and, responding somewhat 
frigidly to his pleasantries, made her way into 
the bank. A cold nod was all that had passed 
between Fanning and Roy, though young Hard- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 55 
ing had looked astonished at beholding the other 
in Jess’s car. Before long the girl tripped out 
of the building once more. But this time she 
carried with her a black leather case. Fanning 
was once more at her side and insisted on help- 
ing her into the car, holding her arm rather 
tightly as he did so. 

"I wish I could accompany you,” he said. “Ten 
thousand dollars’ worth of jewels is a rather 
risky thing to carry about.” 

“Oh, I have a splendid escort, thank you,” 
spoke up Jess, frigidly. She drew on her gaunt- 
lets and began fumbling with the levers. Roy 
was already out of the car and cranking up. 

“It would be the pleasure of the ride,” said 
Fanning, in a low voice. “If I were with you I 
could almost wish somebody would try to hold 
us up so that I could show you what I could do 
in your defence.” 

“Just as you did that day at school when poor 
little Henry Willis was being beaten by that 
big bully Hank Jones ?” asked Jess, quietly. Fan- 


56 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


ning’s glances, and the emphasis he threw into 
what he said, were very distasteful to her, and 
she took what proved an effectual means of 
squelching him. 

"You know I had a sore wrist that day and 
couldn’t get into a fight with Hank,” said Fan- 
ning, but his eyes were downcast and he had not 
much more to say. Presently the auto chugged 
off, leaving the disgruntled youth standing on 
the sidewalk following it with his eyes. 

"So you’re trying to win out Jess Bancroft, 
are you?” the over-dressed lad thought to him- 
self. "Well, Roy Prescott, I guess that settles 
you. I’ve never liked you, and now that I’ve a 
chance to get the upper hand of you I’m going 
to use it. You’ll regret this auto ride to-day in 
days to come, or I’m very much mistaken.” 

He turned and reentered the bank, but pres- 
ently emerged again in a leather coat of black 
material, black leggings and black cap and gog- 
gles. Hauling out his motor-cycle from a rack 
in front of the bank he wheeled it into the street, 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 57 
and with an admiring crowd of small boys look- 
ing on, started the swift, four-cylindered ma- 
chine. In a cloud of dust he vanished in the 
same direction as had Jess Bancroft's car. 

Jess, once the confines of the village were 
past, “let the car out." They sped along, chat- 
ting merrily. The roads about Sandy Bay were 
ideal for automobiling, and perhaps neither of 
the young occupants of the car noticed how 
fast they were going when the vehicle topped a 
small rise and began descending a long steep 
grade at the bottom of which the railroad, which 
approached on a curve, was visible in two shin- 
ing parallel streaks of metal. 

Suddenly there came a shrill, long drawn 
whistle. 

“Hullo, a train !" exclaimed Roy. “Must be a 
freight; there's no regular passenger scheduled 
to run at this time of day." 

“That's right," agreed Jess. “I guess I'll slow 
down a bit till we see how close it is to the 
crossing." 


58 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

She pressed her foot on the brake pedal and 
shoved hard. 

But to her astonishment there was no diminu- 
tion in the speed of the car. It plunged forward 
down the hill, gaining impetus every second. 

“Better slow up, Jess,” warned Roy, who had 
not noticed the girl grow white and faint, as 
the possibility of what might occur if she could 
not control the car flashed before her. 

“I — I can't!” she gasped. 

“The emergency brake!” almost shouted Roy. 
Below them he had seen a swiftly moving col- 
umn of white smoke. It was the approaching 
train. Now it whistled once more. That meant 
it was close upon the crossing toward which the 
car was racing at terrific speed. 

“I've — I've tried it. It's jammed or some- 
thing! Oh, Roy! the train!” 

Before she could say any more Roy had risen 
from his seat, and gently, but firmly, removed 
the girl's trembling hands from the steering 
wheel. With might and main he tried to check 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 50 
the car. But all he did was in vain. Drops of 
perspiration stood out upon his forehead. Jess, 
utterly unnerved, sank back in her seat and hid 
her face with her gloved hands. 

Above the roar of the on-dashing car could 
be heard the sharp puffing of the approaching lo- 
comotive. Roy tugged as if he would tear his 
muscle out at the brake lever, but it refused to 
budge. A sort of desperate coolness came over 
him. But Jess, who had uncovered her eyes for 
an instant, gave a sudden shrill scream. 

“Oh, we’ll be killed! Look, — the train! WeTl 
crash into it!” 

“Sit down, Jess,” ordered Roy, sternly, for the 
excited girl had seemed to be on the point of 
jumping from the car as it swayed and bumped 
toward what seemed certain annihilation, at a ter- 
rific rate. 

Roy glanced desperately about him. The hill 
was enclosed by steepish banks with hedgerows 
at the top. But at one point he thought he saw 
a chance of escape. 


60 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


As he despairingly changed the direction of the 
car two figures sprang from behind the hedge 
and gazed in amazement at the runaway auto. 

“They’ll be killed to a certainty !” cried one. 

Indeed it seemed so. With Jess in a dead 
faint and Roy looking straight into the dark 
face of danger the uncontrolled car tore onward 
toward the train. The engineer saw it now 
and blew his whistle shrilly. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


61 


CHAPTER V. 

A NARROW ESCAPE). 

But Roy’s quick eye had noted one loophole of 
escape, — a gap in the bank. 

Truly it was taking a terrible risk to dash the 
car through it. The boy did not know what lay 
beyond, and in taking the chance he was run- 
ning almost as great a risk of annihilation as if 
he kept straight on. But to have done the lat- 
ter would have been to crash into a solid wall 
of moving freight cars as they bumped across 
the grade crossing. 

It was almost certain that they would be 
thrown out and maybe injured. But Roy did not 
hesitate. With a quick twist of his steering 
wheel he sent the car spinning on two wheels for 
the gap. For an instant it seemed as if the 
vehicle would capsize under the sudden change 


62 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

of direction. But it did not, although it tilted 
over at a dangerous angle. 

Whiz-z-z-z-z ! 

In a flash they were through the gap, the 
landscape blurring, so terrific was the speed. 

The next instant there was a sickening shock. 
Instinctively Roy threw out an arm to protect 
his fair companion. Hardly had he done so be- 
fore he felt himself impelled through the air as 
if from a catapult, and all grew blank. 

When Roy came to himself his head ached 
as if it would burst. It was some few seconds, 
in fact, before he realized what had occurred. 
When he did he looked about him. A few paces 
away lay the still form of Jess Bancroft. She 
was stretched out on a cushion upon which she 
must have fallen. For an instant, as he gazed 
at her features as pale as marble, and her closed 
eyes, a dreadful thought flashed across Roy's 
mind. What if she were dead? 

But to his great relief he speedily ascertained 
that the girl was breathing. An ugly bruise on 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 63 
her forehead may have accounted for her con- 
tinued swoon although she had fainted with ter- 
ror the instant the train appeared beneath them 
on the crossing. 

The car, its hood crumpled up as if it had 
been made of paper instead of metal, stood at 
the foot of a tree not far off. 

“No wonder we were thrown out,” thought 
Roy, as he gazed at the wreck and considered 
the speed at which they had encountered the 
obstruction. “The wonder is we escaped with 
our lives.” 

After a brief and ineffectual attempt to 
arouse the girl the boy looked about him for 
some means of assistance. The cowardly train 
crew had not stopped when they saw the acci- 
dent. Visions of damage suits and summary 
discharges may have drifted through their 
minds, for extra freights were supposed to send 
flagmen to the crossing to warn all traffic of the 
train’s approach. 

Suddenly Roy recollected the two men he had 


64 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

seen spring from behind the hedge as the run- 
away auto approached the gap. What had be- 
come of them? Apparently they had taken to 
their heels also, for not a sign was to be seen of 
them. 

“Odd,” thought the boy to himself ; “one would 
think the first instinct of a human being at see- 
ing an accident like this would be to stay and 
help. But, hold on, maybe they've gone for a 
doctor. A retired physician, Dr. Mays, lives 
not far from here. In the meantime if I could 
only get some cold water.” 

Suddenly he spied a small brook at the foot 
of the hill. Ill and dazed as he felt Roy sprinted 
toward it, and wetting his handkerchief has- 
tened back to Jess. Kneeling by her side he 
bathed her forehead. He was rewarded in a 
few moments by beholding her eyelids flutter 
and open. In a few seconds more she was fully 
conscious, but weak and shaken. Roy collected 
the scattered cushions from the wreck, and plac- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 65 
ing them like a mattress laid the girl upon 
them. 

She thanked him with a wan smile and then 
lay still once more. Roy wisely did not speak. 
He judged that perfect quiet was what she 
wanted at that moment. 

While he sat by her side meditating what to 
do a sudden noise caused him to look upward. 

It was a noise like the drone of a giant bumble 
bee. It came from directly above his head. 

“The Golden Butterfly!” shouted Roy, spring- 
ing to his feet. 

Above him, at an elevation of some thousand 
feet, the yellow wings of the Prescott aeroplane 
were outlined against the blue, like the form of 
one of her namesakes. 

Roy shouted and waved frantically. Pres- 
ently he was rewarded by the flutter of a hand- 
kerchief from the chassis of the ’plane. At the 
same instant it was swung about, and revolving 
in graceful circles began to spiral down to the 
earth. 


66 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Hooray! It's Peggy and Jimsy!” cried Roy. 
“I recollect now Jess told me that Jimsy was to 
have a lesson to-day.” 

Ten minutes later the aeroplane lighted in the 
field not a hundred yards from the wreck. As 
it reached the ground Peggy started the engine 
at reduced speed. The aerial marvel began to 
scoot across the field toward Roy as obediently 
as if it had been an automobile under perfect 
control. 

Agitated as he was Roy could not help feel- 
ing enthusiastic as the huge, glittering, flying 
thing came closer, its engine roaring and its 
propeller whirring angrily, and yet, the dainty 
girl in the motor bonnet who was driving it had 
it under perfect control every second. Throw- 
ing back a lever and cutting off the spark and 
the gasolene, Peggy brought the aeroplane to a 
stop with a jerk. 

Jimsy, with alarmed questions on his lips, 
sprang out, while Roy helped his sister to alight. 

“Good gracious, whatever has happened ?” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 67 
gasped the girl, as she stood on the ground and 
viewed the still form of her chum Jess, over 
which Jimsy was bending in genuine alarm. 

“It's all right, sis,” Roy assured her, “Jess is 
not badly hurt. See — she is looking up at you.” 

Peggy sped lightly over the turf to her chum's 
side. 

“Oh, Peggy, dear, I'm so glad you've come. 
It was dreadful. But Roy was so brave. I'm 
sure I owe my life to him, for the last thing I 
recollect we were heading direct for the train.'' 

She would have said more, but Peggy held 
up an admonitory finger. Turning to Roy she 
sought an explanation of all that occurred. It 
was soon told, and then the question of sum- 
moning a physician came up. 

In the midst of the discussion Peggy gave a 
glad little cry. 

“The aeroplane!'' I can fly over to Doctor 
Mays' house. There's a dandy big pasture in 
the rear in which to alight.” 

“By George, that's so,” agreed Roy, “and I 


08 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

guess, although it sounds a bit startling, it’s 
the only thing to do. W e can't run the car and 
nobody will be along here for hours perhaps. 
This road isn't travelled much." 

But Peggy, with that quick decision which 
was characteristic of her, was already half way 
to the aeroplane. A moment more and she was 
in the chassis, and slipping into the driver's 
seat began adjusting the motor. 

“I'll leave you to look after Jess," said Roy 
to Jimsy, “while I go along with Peggy. I'm not' 
sure that she is as expert in managing an aero- 
plane as she thinks she is." 

“Well, she brought me over here at a great 
rate, anyhow," put in Jimsy, loyally. 

“And in the nick of time, too," said Roy, warm- 
ly pressing the other's hand. 

“Oh, do be back as quickly as possible, my 
foot hurts dreadfully," moaned poor Jess, “and 
my head feels as if a thousand dwarfs were 
hammering away inside it." 

“We'll be back before you expect us," Roy 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 69 
said, cheerily. Jimsy shouted something*, but 
his words were drowned in the roar of the mo- 
tor as Roy clambered into the Golden Butterfly 
and Peggy started the engine. 

The aeroplane dashed forward over the 
smooth turf and then seemed to take the air as 
lightly and easily as a bit of gossamer. Straight 
up it soared, high above the tree tops, and was 
speedily reduced to a fast diminishing speck in 
the northwest in which direction lay Doctor 
Mays' home. Looking downward from the 
speeding flyer the boy and girl aviators could 
see, spread out below them like a checkerboard, 
the fertile Long Island landscape. 

Through it ran the railroad, looking like a 
glittering ribbon of steel. Off to the north the 
sea sparkled, a few white sails dotting its sur- 
face. The Black Rock lighthouse, painted in 
bands of red and white, formed a conspicuous 
object. 

All at once, on the road beneath them, Roy 
spied a solitary motor cyclist whom, even at the 


70 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


height to which they had now risen, he recog- 
nized as Fanning Harding. He called his sister’s 
attention to the rider. 

“He must have passed right by where the ac- 
cident happened,” he remarked; “that road has 
no outlet for some distance. Funny that he 
didn’t come to help us.” 

“You must remember that the banks and 
hedge hid the place from the road,” Peggy re- 
minded him. “Even Fanning Harding wouldn’t 
have willfully passed by you when you were in 
such straits.” 

“I don’t think so, either,” agreed Roy, “and 
come to think of it, bending over his handlebars 
as he is, he would not be likely to have noticed 
the gap we ploughed through.” 

“Look,” cried Peggy suddenly, “he’s stop- 
ping.” 

The girl was right. The motor cycling boy, 
whose pace had hitherto been as fast as that of 
the aeroplane, could now be seen to slacken his 
machine and finally stop it. Leaning it against 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 71 
a fence he clambered into an adjoining field, and 
with every evidence of extreme caution he crept 
toward a patch of woods at no great distance. 

“What can he be doing ?” exclaimed Peggy. 

As she spoke they saw the boy below them 
take something from his hip pocket 

“A pistol cried Roy. 

The next instant Fanning Harding had van- 
ished into the patch of woods without having 
noticed the aerial observers, or, at least, so it 
appeared. 


72 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER VI. 

A ROADSIDE MYSTERY. 

“Now, what could he be up to?” Roy won- 
dered as they sped on. 

“Give it up,” laughed Peggy, “unless he was 
going rabbit shooting.” 

“Rabbit shooting with a pistol — and in June 
— oh, Peggy, I thought you were more of a 
sport than that.” 

“Well, can you suggest any solution?” 

“Frankly — no. But Eve been forgetting 
something which the sight of Fanning Harding 
reminded me of,” and Roy at once plunged into 
an account of his interview with the banker and 
his son. 

To his great relief Peggy agreed with him 
that on no account must the aeroplane be turned 
over to the Hardings, but her mind was sadly 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 73 
troubled, nevertheless, by what her brother told 
her concerning Simon Harding’s attitude. 

“It looks as if he was bent on hounding us,” 
she sighed. 

“It surely does,” agreed Roy, “but look, sis — 
there’s Doctor Mays’ house off there. You’ll 
have to make a landing in that field back of the 
barn.” 

Peggy nodded and deftly touched a lever or 
two. The aeroplane began to descend. 

“Want me to take the helm?” inquired Roy. 

If Peggy had dared to turn her head she 
would have flashed an indignant glance at her 
brother. As it was she had to content herself 
with a very haughty, “No, indeed.” 

Roy laughed. 

“You surely are the original Girl Aviator,” 
he exclaimed. 

“Huh!” cried Peggy, “by no means the orig- 
inal one, my dear. There are lots of them in 
Europe and there soon will be in this country, 

too.” 


74 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“I hope 60,” responded Roy, “riding with a 
pretty girl in an aeroplane just suits me.” 

But Peggy did not reply, and for a good rea- 
son. They were now just above the pasture lot 
in which she meant to descend, and below them, 
as they dropped, an amusing scene was trans- 
piring. 

The Doctor’s horse, old Dobbin, was dashing 
madly around in circles, faster than he had gone 
in twenty years of solid respectability; the two 
cows, and an old mother pig with her family, 
joined him as the strange whirring thing from 
the sky dropped lowering above them. As for 
the chickens, they flew wildly in every direction, 
clucking as if they had gone mad. 

In the midst of the turmoil a rear door opened 
and a kindly-faced old man with white whiskers 
and a pair of big spectacles perched on his nose, 
emerged, to see what could be causing all the 
disturbance. He fairly dropped the big book he 
was holding, in his astonishment as he beheld a 
glistening object, like a huge yellow and spangled 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


75 


bird, dropping in his very back yard, so to speak. 
But the next instant he recovered himself. 

“Bless my soul,” exclaimed Dr. Mays, for it 
was the retired physician himself, “I thought for 
a moment that the fabled days of the gigantic 
Roc, with which Sinbad the sailor had his ad- 
ventures, had returned. 

“It must be those Prescott children. Ah!” 
he exclaimed, as the aeroplane alighted and 
came to a standstill, “ it is! Dear me, what a 
century we are living in! Boys and girls fly- 
ing about like — like — my chickens!” 

He “clucked” reassuringly to the terrified 
birds as he hastened toward the now stationary 
machine. Roy and his sister came forward to 
greet the venerable old doctor as he approached. 

Roy hastily explained their errand, being in- 
terrupted constantly by the physician's exclama- 
tions of astonishment. 

“Go back with you? Of course, I will, my 
children. Will one of you help me catch old 


76 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


Dobbin and harness him? My man Jake is in 
town to-day.” 

'‘Oh, doctor,” cried Peggy, entreatingly, 
“can’t we persuade you to go back with us in 
the Golden Butterfly?” 

“To fly! Good heavens!” 

The aged physician threw up his hands at 
the idea. 

“It is perfectly safe, sir,” put in Roy. “Safer 
than old Dobbin in his present frame of mind, 
I should imagine.” 

They all had to laugh as they looked at the 
hitherto staid and sober equine careening about 
the pasture with his tail held high, and from 
time to time emitting shrill whinnies of terror 
at the sight of the strange thing which had 
landed in his domain. 

“I don’t know, I really don’t,” hesitated Dr. 
Mays. “The very idea of an old man like me 
riding in an aeroplane. It’s — it’s ” 

“Just splendid,” laughed Peggy, merrily, “and, 
doctor, I’ve often heard you say to father that 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 77 
it was a physician’s duty to keep pace with mod- 
ern invention.” 

"Quite right! Quite right! I often told your 
poor father so,” cried Dr. Mays. "Well, my 
dear, it may be revolutionary and unbecoming 
to a man of my years, but I actually believe I 
will brave a new element in that flying machine 
of yours. More especially as we can reach my 
young patient much quicker in that way.” 

While Dr. Mays, who was a widower and 
childless, went to hunt up an old cap, as head- 
gear for his novel journey, Roy obtained per- 
mission to use the doctor’s telephone. He called 
up Jess’s home and related briefly to Mrs. Ban- 
croft what had occurred, and asked that an auto- 
mobile be sent to the scene of the accident. 

Mrs. Bancroft, who at first had been seri- 
ously alarmed, was reassured by Roy’s quiet 
manner of breaking the news to her, and prom- 
ised to come over herself at once. By this time 
Doctor Mays was ready, and the young people 
noted, not without amusement, that under his 


78 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

assumed air of confidence the benevolent old 
gentleman was not a little worried at the idea 
of braving what was to him a new element. 

The Golden Butterfly was equipped with a 
small extension seat at the stern of her chassis, 
and into this Roy dropped after it had been 
pulled out. Dr. Mays was seated in the centre, 
as being the heaviest of the party, while Peggy 
resumed her place at the steering and driving 
apparatus. 

“All ready behind ?” she called out, laughingly, 
as they settled down. 

“All right here, my dear,” responded the doc- 
tor with an inward conviction that all was 
wrong. 

“Go ahead, sis,” cried Roy. “Hold tight, doc- 
tor, to those straps on the side.” 

With a roar and a whirring thunder of its 
exhausts the motor was started up. Dr. Mays 
paled, but, as Roy afterward expressed it, “he 
was dead game.” Forward shot the aeroplane 
across the hitherto peaceful pasture lot which 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 79 
was now turned into a crazy circus of terrified 
animals. 

“Wh-wh-when are we going up?” 

The doctor asked the question rather jerkily 
as the aeroplane sped over the uneven ground, 
jolting, and jouncing tremendously despite its 
chilled-steel spiral springs. 

“In a moment,” explained Roy; “the extra 
weight makes her slower in rising than usual.” 

“Look out, child !” yelled the doctor, suddenly, 
“you’ll crash into the fence.” 

He half rose, but Roy pulled him back. 

“It’s all right, doctor,” he said reassuringly. 

But to the physician it seemed far otherwise. 
The fence he had alluded to, a tall, five-barred, 
white-washed affair, loomed right up in front of 
them. It seemed as if the aeroplane, scudding 
over the ground like a scared jackrabbit, must 
crash into it. 

But no such thing happened. 

As the ’plane neared the obstruction something 
seemed to impel it upward. Peggy pulled a lever 


80 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

and twisted a valve, and the motor, beating like 

a fevered pulse, answered with an angry roar. 

The Golden Butterfly rose gracefully, just 
grazing the fence top, like a jumping horse. 
But, unlike the latter, it did not come down upon 
the other side. Instead, it soared upward in a 
steady gradient. 

The doctor, his first alarm over, gazed about 
him with wonder, and perhaps a bit of awe. 
Many times had he and his dead friend, Mr. 
Prescott, talked over aerial possibilities, and he 
had always listened with interest to what the 
inventor had to say. But that he should actually 
be riding in such a marvellous craft seemed like 
a dream to this venerable man of science. 

After his first feeling of alarm had worn off 
the physician found that riding in an aeroplane 
after the preliminary run with its bumps and 
jouncings is over, is very like drifting gently 
over the fleeciest of clouds in a gossamer car, 
if such a thing can be imagined. In other words, 
the Golden Butterfly seemed not to be moving 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 81 
fast, but to be floating in the crystal clear atmos- 
phere. But a glance over the edge of the high- 
sided chassis soon showed the physician that 
she was tearing along at a great rate at a height 
of about five hundred feet. Fields, woods, 
streams and small farmhouses swam by beneath 
their keel. 

'‘Well, doctor, how do you like it?” Roy ven- 
tured, after a few moments. 

"Like it !” repeated the physician ; "my lad, it's 
— it’s — it’s bully!” 

And thus did his dignity fall like a mantle 
from Doctor Mays after a few moments in 
Peggy Prescott’s, the girl aviator’s, Golden But- 
terfly. 

A few moments later they came in sight of 
the field in which they had left poor Jess lying 
by the side of the wrecked automobile. 

Hardly had they alighted before Jimsy, a 
rather worried look on his face, was at the side 
of the aeroplane. 

"Say, Roy,” he exclaimed, "you didn’t happen 


82 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


to put that jewel case in your pocket for safe 
keeping after the accident, did you?” 

“Why, no. Jess had it and slipped it under 
the seat while she was driving,” cried Roy. 
“Why?” 

“Because it’s gone!” exclaimed Jimsy, some- 
what blankly. 

“Gone! Impossible!” protested Roy. 

“But it is. I've searched the field thoroughly 
in the vicinity of the car, and I can't find a single 
trace of it.” 

“It couldn't have been stolen.” 

It was Peggy who spoke. 

Roy thought a moment. All at once the 
recollection of Fanning Harding's queer actions 
when they had seen him on the road below them 
flashed into his mind. The road, as he had ob- 
served, led past the scene of the accident. 

Would it have been possible for Fanning to 
enter the field while they lay unconscious there? 
After an instant's figuring Roy had to dismiss 
the idea. Had such been the case, the son of the 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 83 
banker would have been much further off when 
they observed him from the aeroplane than he 
had been. The speed he was making would have 
carried him far from the wrecked auto had he 
been near it at the time the accident occurred. 

What, then, could have become of the jewel 
case? 

“It must be here/' exclaimed Roy, positively; 
‘'nobody could have taken it.” 

While Dr. Mays bent over Jess and examined 
her injured ankle the others searched the field 
in every reasonable direction. But not a trace 
of the jewel case could they find. 

All at once, the noise of a horse's hoofs coming 
at a rapid trot was heard from the road. Roy, 
thinking it might be some one of whom he might 
make inquiries, hastened to the hedge and peered 
over. He saw, coming toward him, a disrepu- 
table-looking old ramshackle rig, driven by a 
red-haired man of big frame who was slouchily 
dressed. His chin had once been shaven, but 
now the hair stood out on it like bristles on an old 


£4 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

tooth brush. By the side of this individual was 
seated none other than the immaculate Fanning 
Harding, in his motor-cycling clothes. 

“Why, that’s Gid Gibbons, the most disreput- 
able character about here,” exclaimed Roy, in 
amazement. “What can Fan Harding be doing 
with him?” 

He now noted, to his further astonishment 
and perplexity, that there was a third person 
in the rig — Gid Gibbon’s daughter, a pretty girl 
in a coarse way, and given to loud dressing. She 
had plenty of black hair and a pair of dark eyes 
that might have been beautiful if they had not 
had a certain hard, defiant look in them. 

As they drew near Fan Harding turned and 
seemed to whisper something to the girl, whose 
name was Hester, at which they both laughed 
heartily. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


85 


CHAPTER VII. 

PEGGY IS PUZZLED. 

“Hello, Gid,” hailed Roy, thinking- that per- 
haps the ne’er-do-well, who conducted a small 
blacksmith shop some distance off, might be able 
to throw some light on the mystery. 

“Hello, yourself,” was the response in a harsh, 
gutteral voice as Gid drew in his reins and the 
conveyance came to a stop. Roy raised his hat 
to Hester Gibbons and nodded coldly to Fan 
Harding. 

“Good gracious, what’s been happening?” 
shrilled out the girl. 

“An accident,” said Roy, and went on rapidly 
to explain what had occurred. 

“And the worst of it is,” the boy went on, 
*‘that besides the accident Miss Bancroft has 
suffered a serious loss. A wallet containing val- 
uable jewelry has vanished entirely.” Roy 


86 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

watched Fan Harding closely as he spoke and 
thought that he saw him change color. It might 
have likewise been fancy, but he could have 
sworn that the girl, too, looked confused. Gid 
puckered up his lips and emitted a whistle. 

“Lost a wallet with jewelry in it, eh?” he 
repeated. 

“Have you looked everywhere for it?” asked 
Fan Harding, with an appearance of great so- 
licitude. 

“Everywhere we can think of,” rejoined Roy. 
He turned to Jimsy, who had just joined him. 
Jimsy looked despondent and worried. A glance 
at his countenance convinced Roy that the jewel 
case was still missing. 

“Fll get out and help you look for it myself,” 
said Fan Harding suddenly. “It's awfully queer. 
Miss Bancroft remarked when she left the bank 
that she would take particular care of the 
jewels.” 

“I wonder if any one passed on this road 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 87 
while we were unconscious ?” queried Roy, look- 
ing narrowly at Fan. 

To his surprise, the other answered with a 
great show of frankness. 

“It’s very odd,” he exclaimed, “but I myself 
must have gone by this place not more than a 
few moments after the smash-up. I was on my 
way to Gid Gibbons’s blacksmith shop to get a 
part of my motor cycle fixed up. I guess if I 
hadn’t been bending over my brakes as I rode 
down hill I’d have seen the place myself.” 

“Guess so,” struck in Gid, with a grin; “no 
one never accused you of being blind.” 

“My motor cycle was in worse repair than I 
thought,” went on Fan, “and so I left it at Gid’s 
place and accepted his offer to ride into town 
with him.” 

This all sounded plausible enough. Yet Roy 
noted that Fan had not mentioned his little ex- 
cursion into the wood with the pistol. What 
was he trying to conceal? What had been his 
mission there? 


88 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


While these thoughts flashed through Roy’s 
mind Gid and his daughter had followed Fan’s 
example and now joined the searchers. By this 
time, Jess, under the doctor’s ministrations, was 
able to sit up. Her face was pale as marble, 
partly from suffering, for her ankle still gave 
her considerable pain, and partly from agitation 
at the loss of the jewels. 

There was a sudden puffing of an auto, and 
presently Mrs. Bancroft herself, in a smaller 
car than the wrecked one, was driven into the 
group by one of the employees of her husband’s 
estate. As gently as possible, after first ex- 
planations had been made, Jess broke the news 
to her. Mrs. Bancroft, a tall, stately woman, 
went white as she heard. 

"One of those jewels, a ruby, was an heir- 
loom that has been in the family for years,” she 
exclaimed. "I would not have lost it for all the 
others. Has every place been searched thor- 
oughly ?” 

"Everywhere, mamma,” responded Jess. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 89 

“Bin over ther ground with a fine tooth comb, 
mum,” said the uncouth Gid. 

Mrs. Bancroft raised her lorgnette and re- 
garded the unabashed Gid with a look tinged 
with some disgust. But Gid merely showed his 
yellow fangs, in what he intended to be a pleasant 
smile, in reply, and lifted his hat with clumsy 
gallantry. 

“What was the last you saw of the jewels ?” 
asked Mrs. Bancroft of her daughter, after 
Jess had been tenderly carried to the other auto 
and made comfortable. 

“It was just before we started down the hill,” 
was the reply. “I felt to see if it was safe under 
the seat just before the car got away from me.” 

“Then they were there just before the acci- 
dent, of course,” put in Mrs. Bancroft. “And 
now they are missing in this mysterious way.” 

“Well, they couldn’t have walked ofif,” said 
Fan; “somebody may have taken them while you 
were unconscious. Unless ” 

He stopped and glanced at Roy, who felt his 


90 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


face flushing angrily. There had been a queer 
intonation in Fan Harding’s tones. 

“Unless what?” put in Jess, looking at Fan 
Harding directly in the eyes. His dropped under 
the scrutiny of the straightforward girl. 

“I suppose you mean unless I took them,” 
struck in Roy, angrily. There was a hard note 
of defiance in his tones which sounded strange 
there. 

Fan Harding glanced at him quickly and 
then said in a low voice: 

“Well, it does look odd, you know, and ” 

“Don’t dare to say another word like that !” 

Peggy, her soft eyes blazing, stepped forward 
before Mrs. Bancroft could stop her. Gid Gib- 
bon’s daughter watched the angry girl with a 
contemptuous smile. But Fan Harding went 
white and shrank back. 

“I — I didn’t mean anything,” he stammered. 

“Children! Children!” exclaimed Mrs. Ban- 
croft, “no more of this. It seems that there is 
a mystery here, and perhaps some day it will be 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 91 
solved. But in the meantime I wish no sus- 
picion, or doubt even, cast on any one.” 

If they had been watching Fan Harding they 
would have seen his face brighten up at this. 
Muttering something in an undertone to Gid, 
he slunk off, accompanied by his disreputable 
blacksmith companion and the latter’s daughter, 
Hester, as she went, flung back a glance of con- 
tempt at the others, of which they took not the 
slightest notice. 

Dr. Mays elected to return home by means of 
Mrs. Bancroft’s auto. He declared, laughingly, 
that he had had quite enough excitement that 
morning for a man of his years. A few mo- 
ments after the departure of Fan and his strange 
companions therefore, Mrs. Bancroft’s auto, 
towing the injured car by means of a rope 
brought along for that purpose, set out on its 
return journey. Jimsy rode beside his sister, 
who made a brave effort to bid a cheery good- 
bye to the young aviators. 

But, somehow, all of them felt that a con- 


92 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


straint had been suddenly born among them, aris- 
ing out of mystery of the missing jewels. 
The next day "posters, announcing a reward for 
the recovery of the jewels, were hurriedly struck 
off at Sandy Bay printing office, and distributed 
throughout the toym and the surrounding coun- 
try. In due course the Prescott household, of 
course, received one, and the perusal of it did 
not add to their cheerfulness. 

The bills gave a description of the accident 
and the circumstances, and Roy could not but 
feel that any logical person reading the things 
would come to the conclusion that Roy Prescott 
probably knew more about the> facts of the case, 
at least, than any one else. 

In addition to the disconcerting bills the regu- 
lar police officials of Sandy Bay visited the Pres- 
cott home and interrogated Roy, to Peggy's huge 
indignation. But worse was to come; private 
detectives also came and questioned and cross- 
questioned him at great length. Roy could not 
but feel with all this that he was an object of 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 93 
suspicion, but he bravely went about as before 
and tried to hide his inner thoughts as closely 
as possible. * 

Jess soon recovered and was up and about 
once more. The four young folks interchanged 
visits and motored and “aeroed” together as 
freely as before, but they somehow all felt that 
the air was charged with some influence that 
made things quite different to what |h|y had 
been before the accident and the subsequent 
mysterious vanishing of the jewels. 

Peggy privately made up her mind, with a 
truly feminine intuition, that Fanning Harding 
had something to do with the affair. Recalling 
his strange visit to the wood, she even visited 
the place by herself one day to see if she could 
light upon any clew that might serve to clear 
things up. But, as might have been expected, 
she found nothing. 

Her trip over had been made in the Golden 
Butterfly. Disappointed at her lack of success, 
for she had almost allowed herself to believe that 


94 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


she would, in some queer fashion, happen upon 

y 

a clew, the girl was preparing to return, when 
something happened. 

A rod, connecting a warping lever with the 
right wing of the monoplane, snapped with a 
sharp crack. 

“Oh, dear !” exclaimed Peggy to herself, “what 
shall I do?” 

She looked about her as if seeking for in- 
formation from her surroundings. All at once 
she became aware that two men had emerged 
from the wood behind her and were watching 
her closely. 

Plucky as the girl was, she felt her heart beat 
a little quicker as she gazed. There was some- 
thing so very piercing in their scrutiny. 

Suddenly one of them stepped forward, and 
Peggy saw, to her astonishment, that she knew 
him. More astonishing still, the man was trem- 
bling and whitefaced as if in alarm at some- 
thing. 

It was Morgan, the butler at Mrs. Bancroft’s. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 95 

“Why, Morgan, whatever are you doing 
here?” exclaimed Peggy as she breathed more 
freely. 

The man hesitated. His companion, whom 
Peggy could now see was an employe about the 
Bancroft stables, came to his rescue. 

“Why, miss, we’ve been doin’ a bit of trap- 
ping in the woods there.” 

“Yes, miss, that’s hit,” struck in Morgan, a 
stout, puffy-faced Englishman with “side burns.” 

“A bit o’ poaching, as you might say, miss. 
I ’opes you won’t tell on hus.” 

“Good gracious, no,” laughed Peggy, im- 
mensely relieved to find that the two men were 
not strangers. “I thought you looked scared 
when you saw me, Morgan.” 

“Yes, miss. You see, I haint used in hold 
England ter see young ledies a flyin’ round 
like bloomin’ — bloomin’ pertater bugs, hif you’ll 
pardon the comparison, miss. But ’as yer ’ad 
han haccident?” 

“I have,” rejoined Peggy, restraining an im- 


96 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


pulse to say “I ’ave.” "‘It's not much. If there 
was a blacksmith shop round here I could get it 
fixed in a jiffy. It’s just this rod that’s snapped.” 

“Why, miss,” puffed Morgan, “Gid Gibbon’s 
place isn’t more than a few paces, as you might 
say, from ’ere. Why don’t you take that rod 
there? Hi’ll hescort yer.” 

“Why, that’s so,” agreed Peggy, “how stupid 
of me not to have thought of it. Gid can fix it 
in a few minutes.” 

Selecting a small wrench from the tool box 
Peggy deftly unbolted the broken rod, and then, 
with Morgan and his companion as guides, she 
set off across the fields for Gid’s shop, which she 
now recalled was a short distance up the road, 
but hidden from the spot where the Butterfly had 
dropped by a patch of woods. 

“By the way, Morgan,” the girl asked, sud- 
denly, “has anything more been heard of the 
missing jewels?” 

To Peggy’s astonishment the man started and 
stammered. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


97 


'‘Yes, miss — that is — no, miss. I means, miss, 
that there ain't been no news, miss, hof hany 
kind, miss." 

Peggy nodded without appearing to note the . 
man's confusion. 

"It's a queer affair, miss," put in Morgan's 
companion, whose name was Giles. 

"It is, indeed," rejoined Peggy. "I do wish it 
could all be cleared up." 

"Same 'ere, miss, hi'm sure," struck in Mor- 
gan, mopping his puffy face. He seemed to have, 
in great part, recovered his composure. 

"Well, there is the blacksmith shop," said the 
other man presently, as they emerged from the 
fields upon the road through a sliding gate. He 
pointed to a long, low, ramshackle structure at 
the cross-roads. Beside it stood a fairly neat 
cottage and beyond this again a brand new shed, 
from which proceeded a great sound of ham- 
mering. 

As Morgan and Giles left her, to make a short- 
cut home across lots, Peggy set off at a brisk 


98 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

pace, holding the broken rod in her hands. She 
almost dropped the bits of metal an instant later 
in a great surprise that she encountered. 

The door of the brand-new building opened 
and out stepped Fanning Harding, in overalls 
and jumper. Suddenly he became aware of Peg- 
gy's advancing figure and halted, staring at her. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


99 


CHAPTER VIII. 
hdster’s ruby. 

The door of the shed had been opened wide, but 
Fanning closed it swiftly as if in great anxiety 
to conceal what was within. Then it was that 
Peggy first became aware of something she had 
not noticed before. Above the portal was a sign- 
board upon which was painted in staring red 
letters : 

“Office and Works of the Fanning Harding 
Aeroplane Co.” 

Hardly had Peggy digested this astonishing 
sign before Fanning, his look of startled sur- 
prise replaced by a smile, advanced, cap in hand, 
to meet her. 

“Why, what ever brings you here?” he asked, 
with the air of easy familiarity which Peggy dis- 


100 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


liked so much. “I guess that that sign gave you 
a kind of a start, eh ?” 

“It certainly did,” agreed Peggy, “and it gives 
me even more of a start to see you working, 
Fanning.” 

“Huh,” grunted the youth, beneath whose blue 
overalls were visible a pair of gaudy socks of 
the kind he affected, “I guess you think that I 
can’t make good as well as any one else when 
I try. Roy wouldn’t go into a deal with me on 
that aeroplane of his, so I just got busy and 
started a concern of my own.” 

“Do you mean you are actually building an 
aeroplane?” 

“Yes. Got orders for several of them,” re- 
joined the swaggering youth. “So far I’ve only 
had Gid to help me, but I guess I’ll have to en- 
large the plant pretty soon. You see that Roy 
would have been wiser to sell me that ’plane of 
his at the start-off. As things are now, the 
Harding Aeroplane Company is going to dis- 
count anything in its line.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 101 

“Well, I am glad of that,” said Peggy, briskly, 
and with some trace of asperity. Fanning's 
conceited, confident air jarred upon her sadly. 
“But I came over here to find Mr. Gibbons. I 
want him to repair this rod for me.” 

“Why, that's off an aeroplane !” exclaimed 
Fanning, eagerly; “you must have come to earth 
in the Golden Butterfly quite close to here.” 

“Why, yes. In that field yonder,” rejoined 
Peggy, some instinct telling her not to disclose 
the true object of her visit there; “my motor 
went wrong and I had to descend.” 

“What field did you come down in? That one 
by the clump of woods round the bend in the 
road?” asked Fanning, with just a trace of anx- 
iety in his tone. 

“Yes. It was lucky I was so close. Morgan 
and Giles ” 

“What, Morgan and Giles were there?” 

Fanning seemed tremendously excited all of 
a sudden. 


“Why, yes. What of it?” 


102 


THE GIEL AVIATOES 


But Fanning had pulled himself together. 

“Oh, nothing/’ he said, in a matter-of-fact 
tone. “I only thought they were a long way 
from home, that’s all. But here comes Gid now. 
Hey, Gid! Miss Prescott wants a rod welded. 
Can you do it for her right away?” 

“Sure,” responded the ill-favored blacksmith, 
shuffling up. His chin was more bristly than 
ever, and his shifty blue eyes blinked like a rat’s 
beady orbs as he took the bits of metal. 

“A flaw,” he declared, examining them ; “won- 
der it didn’t break sooner. Come on to the forge, 
miss, and I’ll fix it for you in a brace-of-shakes.” 

Off he shuffled toward the ramshackle forge, 
Peggy following. Behind her came Fanning. 
As they passed the cottage Hester Gibbons came 
flying down the path, but stopped at a sign from 
Fanning. The youth dropped further behind, 
and as Peggy followed Gid into the forge and 
the bellows began roaring, they began to talk in 
low tones. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 103 
“Do you think she can suspect anything ?” 
asked Hester at one point. 

“Not a thing,” was the confident response. 
“That pale-faced old gopher, Morgan, was in the 
wood this afternoon, though. She told me that 
The existence of the Harding Aeroplane Com- 
pany has become known rather before I wanted 
it to, also. However, they may as well know 
now as any other time that they aren't the only 
fliers in the air. I guess the Harding aeroplane 
will beat anything in its line ever seen.” 

“I guess it will,” laughed Hester, and then, 
for some unknown reason, they both burst into 
fits of immoderate laughter. Evidently some- 
thing connected with Fanning's new enterprise 
was deemed highly amusing by both of them. 

Peggy left without seeing Hester, although 
from behind a blind in the cottage, the girl 
watched her closely enough. Gid, whatever his 
other shortcomings might have been, was a good 
blacksmith, and the rod was well repaired. Peggy 
soon had it adjusted, and was about to clamber 


104 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


into the chassis and start home when a shout 
from the road made her look up. An automobile 
stood there, and in it were Jess and Jimsy. They 
hailed her excitedly, and Peggy hastily threw out 
the switch which she had just adjusted and has- 
tened across the field to them. 

She soon saw that Jess was waving a leather 
pocket case above her head and that her face 
was flushed and excited. 

“My dear Jess, whatever has happened ?” she 
cried, as she came up to the side of the auto. 

“Happened !” echoed Jess. “Why, my dear, 
the most extraordinary, inexplicable thing you 
ever heard of.” 

“In other words, 'we are up in the air/ ” quoth 
the slangy Jimsy, “even if we don’t own an aero- 
plane/’ 

“You see this case,” cried Jess, extending the 
leather wallet for Peggy’s inspection. “Well, 
that’s the case that held mamma’s jewels. It was 
returned most strangely to us this afternoon. 
We found it on the porch after lunch. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 105 

“Oh, Jess! the jewels were in it. I’m so glad.” 

“No, girlie, it was empty.” 

“Empty!” echoed Peggy, “and nobody knows 
how it came there?” 

“No, we must have been at lunch at the time. 
None of the servants know anything about the 
matter, either. It's a real, dark and deep mys- 
tery.” 

“IPs all of that, my dear Watson,” pro- 
claimed Jimsy, folding his arms and scowling in 
imitation of a famous detective of fiction. “Why 
on earth should the thief want to return the 
wallet? You’d think he’d dodge such a risk of 
being arrested.” 

But Peggy had been looking at the wallet 
which had so amazingly reappeared. 

“Why, Jess,” she cried, “it’s all mud-stained. 
It looks as if it had been buried somewhere.” 

“It certainly does,” agreed Jimsy, “but even 
that doesn’t give us any more to go on than the 
theory that the jewels have been buried some 
place.” 


106 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


'‘And been dug up again,” put in Peggy, 
quickly. 

After some more conversation the group was 
about to break up, when Jess exclaimed sud- 
denly : 

“Oh, by the way, did you hear about Jeff 
Stokes? No, I see you haven’t. Well, he’s been 
appointed wireless operator at Rocky Point.” 

“Oh, I’m so glad,” cried Peggy, impulsively; 
“that’s been his ambition for a long time.” 

Rocky Point was a projecting neck of land 
about two miles east of Sandy Bay. It was 
quite an important signalling station for ships 
passing up and down the Sound. The position 
which Jeff Stokes had secured was a lucrative 
one in a way, and, at any rate, was in direct line 
of promotion. 

The two Bancrofts waited to watch Peggy 
take the air in her now staunch aeroplane. It 
was not until she had vanished with a whirr 
and a whiz that Jimsy thought of starting his 


own car. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 107 

“Gracious,” cried Jess, as they sped along, 
“how I wish that the mystery of those jewels 
could be cleared up.” 

As she spoke they were passing by the cot- 
tage occupied by Gid Gibbons. 

“Oh, look, there's that horrid Fanning 
Harding and Gid Gibbons's daughter at the 
gate,” cried Jess. 

At the same instant as she uttered the ex- 
clamation, Hester Gibbons looked up in time to 
see Jess's gaze concentrated upon her. She 
whisked about, her skirts swinging as she did 
so. But she did not turn quickly enough for 
Jess's sharp eyes not to see that she snatched at 
something she had been wearing at her throat. 

The millionaire's daughter was almost certain 
that the object Hester snatched at in such a hurry 
was a ruby brooch, or at least an imitation of 
one. She had distinctly caught a ruddy flash as 
Hester's hand moved to her throat. 

Jimsy, too, had noticed it, it seemed, for he 
suddenly observed : 


108 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Seems queer for Hester to be wearing jew- 
elry. Her father must be making money fast 
nowadays.” 

“Yes/’ said Jess, but her voice was distant 
and preoccupied. She was certain that her eyes 
had not deceived her. It had been a ruby that 
Hester Gibbons had pulled off and hastened to 
conceal. Obeying an impulse, she turned and 
gazed back over the top of the tonneau. 

Through the dust cloud behind the car she 
could see that Hester and Fanning Harding were 
once more in deep conversation at the gate. She 
wondered what they could find so engrossing to 
talk about, and also speculated on several other 
things. She, however, avoided mentioning her 
suddenly aroused suspicions to Jimsy. He was 
so hasty. Inwardly she made a resolve to seek 
out Peggy the first thing the next day and com- 
pare notes with her. She could not help feeling 
that matters were assuming a very complicated 
aspect 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


109 


CHAPTER IX. 
a race: against time:. 

One evening, a week later, Peggy and her 
brother were tightening up some braces on the 
Golden Butterfly after an afternoon's flight 
along the coast, when the sharp “honk! honk!" 
of an automobile from the road attracted their 
attention. Running to the door, Peggy saw 
Jimsy and his sister in the “Gee Whizz," as their 
red auto had been christened. 

But that there was something the matter with 
the Gee Whizz was evident. The motor, un- 
geared, was coughing and gasping in a painful 
manner. Jimsy shouted as he saw the two young 
Prescotts. 

“Say, you aviators, come here and see what 
you can do to doctor a poor creeping earthworm 
of an auto." 

Laughing at his tone and words, Peggy and 


110 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


her brother hastened down the path and through 
the gate. 

“Something’s wrong with the transmission,” 
explained Jimsy. 

“What’s the trouble?” asked Roy. 

“What a question, you goose?” cried Jess; 
“if we knew we’d have fixed it long ago.” 

“It’s doubly annoying,” said Jimsy, in an im- 
patient voice, “because we got a wire from father 
to-night, saying that he would take us on a trip 
to Washington with him if we arrived in New 
York by eight-thirty.” 

“Oh, you poor dears,” exclaimed Peggy, “and 
if you don’t get there at that time?” 

“We can’t go, that’s all,” said Jess, tragically 
clasping her gloved hands. 

“Bother the luck,” muttered Jimsy, with mas- 
culine grumpiness. “Found out what’s the 
trouble, Roy?” 

“Yes,” was the response; “one of your gears 
is stripped. I’m afraid that there’ll be no Wash- 
ington trip for you folksies.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 111 

The tears rose in Jess's fine eyes. Jimsy 
looked cross, and an abrupt silence fell. 

It was Peggy who broke it with a suggestion. 

“There’s a train leaves Central Riverview 
junction at six, isn’t there ?” 

“I believe so,” rejoined Jess, in a doleful voice; 
“we took it one night, I remember, when we 
missed the through cars from Sandy Bay.” 

“It’s five now,” nodded Peggy, examining the 
dial of a tiny watch, one of the last presents her 
father had given her. 

“Fat chance of getting this old hurdy-gurdy 
fixed up in time to make it,” grumbled Jimsy. 

“You don’t have to,” cried Peggy, with a note 
of triumph. 

“Don’t have to!” 

It was Jess who echoed the remark. 

“No, indeed. Our aerial express will start for 
the junction in a few minutes, and ” 

But the rest was drowned in an enthusiastic 
shout. Jess threw her arms about her chum and 
fairly hugged her. 


112 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“You darling. We can make it?” 

“We must/’ was the business-like rejoinder. 
“Roy, you get the Butterfly out and fill the lubri- 
cator tank. We’ve got enough gasolene.” 

Roy and Jimsy, arm in arm, hastened off to 
the shed. The two girls followed more leisurely. 
It was not long before everything was in readi- 
ness, but fast as they worked it was nearly half 
an hour before preparations were all complete. 

Then they climbed in and Peggy started the 
engine. But the next instant she shut it off 
again. 

“The second cylinder is missing fire,” she pro- 
nounced. 

Roy bent over the refractory part of the mo- 
tor and soon had it adjusted. Then the motor 
settled down to a steady tune, the regular hum- 
ming throb that delights the heart of the aviator. 

“All ready?” inquired Peggy, adjusting her 
hood and goggles and turning about. 

“Right Oh !” hailed Jimsy. 

“Now, boys and girls, prepare for a long run.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 113 
warned Peggy; "with this load it will take a 
long time to rise.” 

The aeroplane was speeded up and soon tra- 
versed the slope leading from the back of the shed 
to the summit of the little hill at the rear of the 
Prescott place. As it topped the rise Peggy 
turned on full power. The Golden Butterfly 
dashed forward and then, after what seemed a 
long interval, began to rise. Up it soared, its 
motor laboring bravely under its heavy burden. 
In the dusk blue flames could be seen occasionally 
spurting from the exhausts. It would have been 
a weird, perhaps a terrifying sight to any one 
unused to it — the flight of this roaring, flaming, 
sky monster, through the evening gloom. 

"We’ve got half an hour to make the twenty 
miles,” shouted Roy, from his seat beside his sis- 
ter. Peggy set her little white even teeth and 
nodded. 

"I’m going to make for the tracks and follow 
them. That’s the quickest way,” she said. 

Tt seemed only a few seconds later that the 


114 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

red and green lights of a semaphore signal 

flashed up below them. 

“Bradley’s Crossing,” announced Roy. 

Swinging the aeroplane about, Peggy began 
flying directly above the tracks. 

“No sign of the train yet — we may make it,” 
said Jimsy, pulling out his watch. It showed a 
quarter to six, and they had fifteen miles to 
travel, or so Roy estimated the distance. 

“Let her out for a mile-a-minute,” he ex- 
claimed. 

Peggy only nodded. She was far too busy 
getting all the work she could out of the motor. 
An extra passenger makes a lot of difference 
to an aeroplane, and the Butterfly was only built 
to accommodate three. But she was answering 
gallantly to the strain. 

On she flew above the tracks, every now and 
then roaring above some astonished crossing 
keeper or track-walker. 

Suddenly, from somewhere behind them, they 
heard a long, moaning whistle. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 115 

“The train !” shouted Jess. 

In her excitement she gripped Roy’s arm 
tightly and peered back. 

All at once, around a curve, the locomotive 
came into view — black smoke spouting from its 
funnel and a column of white steam pouring 
from its safety valves. • 

“She’ll beat us,” cried Jimsy, despairingly, as 
the thunder of the speeding train grew louder. 
The setting sun flashed on the varnished sides 
of the cars. 

The engineer thrust his head out of the cab 
window and gazed upward. His attention had 
been attracted by the roaring of the motor over- 
head. 

He broke into a yell and waved his hand as he 
saw the flying aeroplane dashing along above 
him. The next instant his hand sought the 
whistle cord. 

“Toot! toot! toot!” 

The occupants of the aeroplane waved their 
hands* To their chagrin, however, they saw 


116 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

that, overloaded as the aeroplane was, the train 
was gaining on them in leaps and bounds* Its 
windows were black with heads now as pas- 
sengers, regardless of the danger of encounter- 
ing some trackside obstacle, leaned out and gazed 
up at the Golden Butterfly roaring along like 
some great Thunder Lizard of the dark ages. 

“Don’t they stop anywhere between here and 
the junction?” gasped Jimsy. 

Roy shook his head. 

“It’s a through train from Montauk,” he said; 
“they make all the speed they can.” 

“Two minutes,” cried Jess, suddenly; “we 
won’t do it.” 

But Peggy had suddenly swung off the tracks 
and was cutting across country. She had seen 
that the track took a long curve just before it 
entered the junction. By taking a direct “crow 
flight” across country she might beat it after all. 

And she did. As the train came thundering 
into the station and stopped with a mighty 
screaming of brakes and hiss of escaping steam, 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 117 
the aeroplane came to earth in the flat park-like 
space in front of the depot. 

‘‘Tumble out quick !” shouted Roy, “she only 
stops a jiffy.” 

Jess and Jimsy lost no time in obeying. 

“Good-bye, you darlings!” cried Jess, as she 
sped after her brother toward the station. 

“Well get our tickets on the train !” shouted 
Jimsy, as they vanished. 

“All ab-o-a-r-d!” 

The conductor’s voice ran peremptorily out. 
He had seen the race between the aeroplane and 
the train, but even that could not disturb a con- 
ductor’s desire to start on time. 

As the wheels began to revolve, Jimsy and 
Jess swung on to the steps of the rear parlor 
car. As they did so the passengers broke into 
an involuntary cheer. The shouts of approval 
at the up-to-date manner in which the young 
folks had “made their train,” mingled with the 
puffing of the locomotive as it sped off. 

Among the spectators of the sensational feat 


118 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

had been a broad-shouldered, bronzed man in a 
big sombrero hat, who sat in the same parlor car 
which Jimsy and Jess had entered. He looked 
like a Westerner. As the train gathered head- 
way he suddenly, after an interval of deep 
thought, struck one big brawny hand upon his 
knee and exclaimed to himself: 

“It’s the very thing — the very thing. With a 
fleet of those I could develop the Jupiter and 
astonish the mining world.” 

He rose, with the slowness of a powerful 
man, and made his way back to where Jimsy 
and Jess were sitting. Raising his broad- 
brimmed hat with old-fashioned courtesy, he ad- 
dressed himself to Jimsy and was soon deep in 
conversation with him. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIESHIP 


119 


CHAPTER X, 
the: rival aeroplane. 

In the meanwhile, the exciting race against 
time had resulted in overheating the Golden But- 
terfly's cylinders, and a stop of an hour or more 
at the junction was necessary. Thus it was quite 
dark when the young Prescotts were ready to 
make for home. A small crowd had gathered 
to see them start, for there was a little com- 
munity of houses scattered about the junction. 

They decided to go the way they had come, 
namely, to follow the tracks to the crossing and 
then turn off for home. It was their first expe- 
rience in night piloting, and when they were 
ready Peggy switched on the tiny shaded bulb 
that illuminated the compass. This done, she 
started the engine, and the Golden Butterfly shot 
into the air under its reduced load with an almost 
buoyant sense of freedom. 


120 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

The crossing was reached in several minutes 
less than it had taken them to reach the junc- 
tion on the going trip. Peggy turned off as she 
marked the glowing lights beneath her, and pres- 
ently the Golden Butterfly was skimming along 
above dark woodlands and gloom-enshrouded 
meadows. There was something awe inspiring 
about this night flying. Above them the canopy 
of the stars stretched like a mantle spangled with 
silver sequins. Below, the earth showed as a 
black void. 

They were flying slowly to avoid overheating 
the cylinders again. Suddenly a bright glare 
shot up against the night from below, and a 
little ahead of them. It died down almost in- 
stantly, only to flash up once more. 

“Gid Gibbons’s forge !” exclaimed Roy. “Let’s 
fly over by there and see what he’s doing.” 

“All right,” agreed Peggy; “ever since my 
visit there I have felt a great interest in Mr. 
Gibbons. But we’ll have to make haste, there’s 
some wind coming before long.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 121 

The girl was right. A filmy mist, like a veil, 
had spread over the stars, dimming their bright 
lamps, and a wind was beginning to sigh in the 
trees under them. 

But they had not reached Gid Gibbons's place, 
or rather a location above it, when an aston- 
ishing thing happened. From the ground a 
red light and a green light set at some distance 
apart began to rise. Up and up they climbed 
through the night in long, swinging circles. Be- 
tween them was dimly visible the dark outlines 
of some fabric. 

“ An aeroplane !” cried the boy and girl, simul- 
taneously. 

“Fan Harding's aeroplane!" cried Peggy, an 
instant later. 

“And — oh, Roy — it can fly!" she added, ad- 
miringly. 

“No doubt of that," was the rather grudging 
reply, as the red and green lights soared up 
and up. 


122 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Keep clear of it, sis, we don't want a col- 
lision," warned Roy. 

“Oh, I'd like to get close and see it," breathed 
Peggy. “I never would have credited Fan 
Harding with being able to do it." 

“Nor I," exclaimed Roy, his dislike of Fan 
Harding giving place to admiration — genuine 
admiration — of the other's ingenuity. 

“Well, he's beaten me out at my own par- 
ticular specialty," he exclaimed presently, after 
an interval in which the lights had climbed far 
above the Golden Butterfly. “That's a better 
machine than ours, Peg." 

“I guess we'll have to admit that," rejoined 
the girl, with a sigh. “I wonder if he'll enter 
for the prize?" 

“Of course. With a craft like that he'd be 
foolish if he didn't. Odd that he's trying it out 
at night, though." 

“I suppose he wants to keep secret what it 
can do and then spring it on an astonished 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 123 
world,” rejoined Peggy. “Good gracious!” she 
broke off hurriedly. 

The aeroplane had given a sudden lurch, and 
at the same instant a sharp puff of wind struck 
them both in the face. Peggy’s hands fairly 
flashed among her levers, and she averted what 
might have been a bad predicament. 

Involuntarily, at the same instant, Roy had 
glanced up at the other aeroplane to see how it 
was faring. To his astonishment the lights did 
not seem to waver. 

“Wow, Peg!” he cried, “that puff didn’t even 
bother Fan Harding’s craft. It was uncanny 
to see her weather it.” 

“There’s something uncanny about it alto- 
gether,” sniffed Peggy; “it’s a regular phantom 
airship.” 

“That’s just what it is,” agreed Roy, “but I’m 
afraid it is a substantial enough phantom to 
carry off that $5,000 prize.” 

Another puff prevented Peggy from replying 
just then. Once more the Golden Butterfly ca- 


124 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

reened violently, and then, under Peggy's skillful 
handling, righted herself. But this time the puff 
was followed by a steady rush of wind. 

“Better turn, Peg, before it gets any worse/' 
advised Roy ; “we’re off our course now.” 

“I — I tried to,” exclaimed Peggy, desperately, 
“but the wind won’t let me. I don’t dare to.” 

“We must,” exclaimed Roy, with a serious note 
in his voice; “if this wind freshens much more 
we won’t be able to turn at all.” 

He leaned forward and took the wheel from 
his sister. But the instant he tried to steer the 
aeroplane round, the wind, rising under one 
wing tip, careened her to a perilous angle. 

“No go,” he said; “we’ve got to keep on 
going.” 

“But where can we land?” asked Peggy, a 
little catch in her voice. 

“We’ll have to take chances on that,” decided 
Roy. “It would be suicidal to try to buck this 
wind.” 

The breeze had now freshened till it was sing- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 125 
ing an Aeolian song in every wire and brace of 
the Golden Butterfly. Brother and sister could 
feel the stout fabric vibrate under the strain of 
the blast. 

The aeroplane was moving swiftly now. But 
it was the toy of the wind, which grew stronger 
every minute. The dark landscape beneath fairly 
flew by under them. Neither of them thought to 
look back at the red and green lights in the sky 
behind them. 

All at once, Roy, who had leaned over his 
sister’s shoulder and glanced at the compass, 
gave a sharp cry. 

“We’ve got to turn, sis,” he said, in a tense, 
sharp voice. 

“What do you mean, Roy? Are we in any 
very serious danger ?” 

The girl’s voice shook nervously in response 
to the anxiety expressed in her brother’s tone. 

“Danger !” echoed Roy. “Girlie, we are being 
blown out to sea!” 


126 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

Blown out to sea! The words held a real 
poignant terror for Peggy. 

“Oh, Roy, we must do something !” she cried, 
helplessly. 

“Yes, but what? We can't, we daren't turn 
about. The machine would tip like a bucket. 
No, we must keep on and trust to luck." 

Peggy shuddered. Hurtled along in the wind- 
driven darkness, brother and sister sat in silence, 
waiting for the first warning that they were 
approaching the sea. 

In the blackness it was impossible to see any- 
thing ahead, and the starlight, which, dim as it 
was, might have helped, had been overcast by a 
filmy covering of light clouds. 

Once or twice as they were hurried helplessly 
along, the propeller beating desperately against 
the wind, they saw, far below them, the cheerful 
lights of some farmhouse. Further off a glare 
against the sky indicated the lights of Sandy 
Bay. 

How they wished that they were safe and 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 127 
sound at home, as they were blown onward by 
the wind, going faster and faster every minute. 

Roy, his pulses beating hard, and every nerve 
at tension, had taken the wheel from his sister, 
even at the risk of careening the aeroplane when 
they shifted their positions. Every now and 
then he tried to turn ever so little, but each time 
a tip at a dangerous angle warned him not to 
attempt such a thing. 

All at once Peggy uttered a shrill cry. 

“Oh, Roy! The sear 

Above the screeching of the wind and the 
hum of the motor they could now hear another 
sound, the thunder of the surf on the beach. 

Straining his eyes ahead Roy could see now 
the white gleam of the breakers as they broke 
in showers of spray on the seashore. A real 
sense of terror, such as he had never felt before, 
clutched at his heart as he heard and saw. 

But controlling his voice, he turned to Peggy. 

“Be brave, little sister,” he said; “we’ll pull 


through all right.” 


128 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


Peggy said nothing in response. She dared 
not trust her voice to speak just at that mo- 
ment. White faced and with staring, fixed eyes, 
she sat motionless and silent, as the Golden But- 
terfly was driven out above the roaring surf and 
the tossing waves. To her alarmed imagination 
the sea seemed to be reaching up hungry arms 
for the two daring young aviators. 

Suddenly she was half blinded by a brilliant 
flash of light which bathed the aeroplane in a 
flood of radiance. The next instant it was gone, 
but they could see the great shaft of radiance 
sweeping around the compass. 

‘TPs the light !” cried Roy. “The Rocky Point 
light !” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


129 


CHAPTER XI. 

IN DIREST PERU,. 

“Oh, if we could only work round and land 
on the point,” exclaimed Peggy. “There’s a 
fine, smooth field there; in fact, it’s all bare 
ground, without rocks or trees.” 

“Yes, and Jeff Stokes is wireless operator 
there, too,” rejoined her brother. “Hullo,” he 
exclaimed an instant later, “the wind is shifting 
a bit. I almost got her head round that time.” 

“Then there is a chance, Roy !” 

“Yes, sis, but don’t count too much on it.” 

Like a skillful jockey handling a restive horse, 
Roy worked the Golden Butterfly about on the 
shifting air currents. If once he could turn her 
nose toward the land he was sure that he would 
be able to make the ground by driving the aero- 
plane down on a slanting angle. 

Once or twice, while he strove with hand and 


130 THE GrIRL AVIATORS 

brain against the elements, he caught his breath 
with a gasping intake — so near had they come 
to overturning. But, thanks to the wind eddies 
of the point, it was possible, after a deal of 
breathless maneuvering, to get the aeroplane 
headed for the land. 

The instant he found himself in this position 
Roy threw on all his power and then, “bucking” 
the wind, like a ship beating up to windward, he 
rushed down through the night upon the point. 
As he did so the rays of the slowly revolving 
light flashed brightly upon the laboring aero- 
plane. In the radiance it looked like some strug- 
gling night bird beating its way against the 
storm and darkness. 

As Peggy had said, the point was clear of 
rocks or brush, and a landing was made without 
much difficulty once the aeroplane had been 
turned. Just as a ship can face the waves with 
comparative security, so an aeroplane, being 
driven into the teeth of a gale, is secure so long 
as she does not “broach to” ; in other words, get 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 131 
sidewise to the blast. It was touch and go with 
the Golden Butterfly for several minutes, though, 
during that struggle with the elements, and two 
more thankful young hearts rarely beat than 
Peggy’s and Roy’s as they stepped from the ma- 
chine and made it fast by pointed braces provided 
for the purpose. 

Hardly had she touched the ground before a 
door in the lower part of the lighthouse opened 
and the form of Jeff Stokes emerged. He told 
them that the struggle with the wind had been 
seen by the light-keeper and himself, and he 
was warm in his congratulations of the daring 
young aviators. The light-keeper, a grizzled 
man named Zeb. Beasley, followed close on Jeff’s 
heels. 

“Come right into the house and hev some 
supper,” he said warmly. “It’s only rough fare, 
but you’re welcome. My misses will be glad to 
have you.” 

Truth to tell, both Peggy and her brother were 
almost famished and worn out after the tension 


132 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


of the struggle with the wind. This being so, 
they were glad enough to accept the light- 
keeper’s kind invitation. 

Peggy’s first action, however, was to hasten 
to the ’phone in the lighthouse and call up their 
aunt. Miss Prescott, who had been badly wor- 
ried over their prolonged absence, was much re- 
lieved to learn that they were safe and sound. 

Mrs. Beasley, a motherly woman of middle 
age, took charge of Peggy while Jeff Stokes 
entertained Roy. Jeff said that he liked the life 
at the light, lonesome as it grew sometimes. 
When he felt blue he used to relieve the mo- 
notony by talking, by means of invisible waves, 
with other operators. He wiled many a weary 
hour away in this manner, he said. 

Suddenly, in the midst of their talk, he ex- 
cused himself and hastened to the small room 
in which his instruments were. The place, filled 
with shiny, mysterious apparatus and networked 
above with wires, was as neat as a pin. 

“Some one’s calling,” Jeff explained. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 133 

His quick ear had caught the faint “tick-tick” 
hardly audible to the untrained ears, which told 
him that a message was vibrating through the 
night. Slipping over his head a metallic appa- 
ratus, not unlike the telephone receivers worn 
by “Central,” Jeff began listening intently. 
Drawing a pad toward him, he was soon writing 
down the message as it was ticked off. Pres- 
ently it was completed, by which time Peggy was 
one of his audience. 

“ ‘Steamer Valiant, Captain Briggs, of Lon- 
don, wishes to be reported as passing Rocky 
Point, bound for Boston/ ” read off Jeff. “Hum 
— nothing very exciting there.” 

“What are you going to do now?” asked 
Peggy, as Jeff, the message in his hand, turned 
to another table, one on which were arranged 
some ordinary telegraph instruments. 

“Send it by ordinary wire telegraphy into the 
head office in New York,” he said. 

“Why not send it by wireless ?” asked Peggy. 

“Too much chance of delay and getting cross 


134 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

currents,” explained Jeff. “We found that for 
quick transmission of ordinary business, that the 
wire is best, unless the atmospheric conditions 
are just right.” 

Suddenly, one of the telegraph instruments 
began to crackle and click loudly. 

“Phew!” said Jeff, listening intently; “here’s 
something that will interest you folks.” 

“What is it?” asked Peggy, eagerly. 

“It’s — wait a minute till I catch the last ” 

Jeff listened a few seconds more and then faced 
about. “Why, that message was a despatch from 
the Sandy Bay correspondent of the New York 
Planet to his paper,” he said. “It was an article 
telling that Fanning Harding has completed a 
successful aeroplane which made a wonderful 
flight to-night in a stiff wind. He says that 
Harding has formed a company and means to 
manufacture similar craft. Then there was a 
lot of taffy about what a fine young fellow Hard- 
ing is, and how bright, and so on. Wonder if 
it’s true?” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 135 
“I can vouch for that,” said Peggy. “I've 
seen his factory. It's out by Gid Gibbons's shop.” 

“So that's where Gid is getting all his money,” 
exclaimed Jeff. “I saw him spending it like 
water in Sandy Bay the other day. Hester's 
got a lot of new dresses and hats, too.” 

Peggy's heart beat a little faster. This 
sounded like a corroboration of her suspicions. 
Where could such a man as Gid Gibbons be get- 
ting such large amounts of money as he seemed 
to have recently? But before she could ask any 
more questions Mrs. Beasley announced supper. 
Speculation was rife in Peggy's mind as they sat 
down to the broiled sea bass, freshly caught, 
home-grown potatoes and string beans and other 
good things which the light-keeper had desig- 
nated as “rough fare.” Peggy was fain to ad- 
mit afterward, and so was Roy, that never had 
she enjoyed anything so much as that meal in 
the old lighthouse with the wind roaring about 
it and the rough, kindly faces of their enter- 
tainers smiling on them. 


136 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


Good-natured Mrs. Beasley soon after ar- 
ranged sleeping accommodations for her young 
guests, and that night the young aviators slum- 
bered peacefully, while above them the great re- 
volving light swept steadily in slow circles, 
warning vessels passing up and down the Sound 
of the dangerous proximity of Rocky Point. 

The next day dawned bright and fair. The 
sea lay like a sheet of blue glass, with scarcely 
a ripple to mar its polished surface. The last 
trace of the wind had died down. 

“We’ll have no more breeze till sundown,” an- 
nounced Mr. Beasley at breakfast. Like most 
men of his profession, he was an earnest and 
accurate student of the weather. After break- 
fast Jeff Stokes, who had been on duty all night, 
was relieved by his assistant, a young man who 
boarded in the village and rode over to his duty 
on a motor cycle. 

“Well,” said Roy, after they had thanked their 
good-hearted entertainers warmly, “I guess it’s 
time for us to be getting home.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 137 

But Peggy had noted a wistful look in Jeff 
Stokes’s eyes as he stood by the side of the aero- 
plane, which an examination had already shown 
to be none the worse for its buffeting of the 
night before. 

“Would you like to try a little flight, Jeff?” 
she asked. 

“Would I?” echoed the youth; “will a duck 
swim ?” 

“Yes, I believe so,” laughed Roy, “and so can 
a certain young wireless operator fly.” 

“Gee, Roy, you mean it ?” 

“Of course, if you’re not scared.” 

There was a mischievous twinkle in Roy’s eye 
as he bent over the engine. 

“How would you like a ride, Mr. Beasley?” 
asked Peggy presently, while Roy adjusted the 
engine. 

The weather-beaten old fellow fairly threw up 
his hands. 

“Land of Goshen, miss!” he exclaimed, “I’ve 
lived on the earth and sea, man and boy, for 


138 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


fifty years, and I ain’t agoin’ ter tempt Provi- 
dence by embarking in a sky clipper at this 
late day.” 

“You bet you ain’t,” put in Mrs. Beasley with 
deep conviction. “Why, if you ever done such a 
thing we’d be like to be read out of church — not 
but what it’s all right for young folks if they 
know how to manage the contraptions.” 

“Now, then, Jeff, if you are ready will you 
get in?” said Roy presently. 

The slender young wireless operator hopped 
into the chassis with alacrity. But his face was 
a bit pallid from excitement at the idea of the 
new method of locomotion he was about to test. 

Last good-byes were said, and the motor be- 
gan to whirr like a gigantic locust. There was 
a grinding and buzzing as the gears meshed and 
the aeroplane began to scud off. 

“Fer all ther world like some big, pesky grass- 
hopper,” declared Mrs. Beasley, as it scudded off 
across the smooth turf. 

But if the good lady was astonished, then it 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 139 
was nothing to her amazement when a moment 
later the Butterfly soared up into the air, lifting 
as gently on the windless atmosphere as a bit 
of drifting gossamer. 

Up and up it swept in graceful hawk-like 
circles. 

“Dear Suz !” shrieked Mrs. Beasley presently, 
“if they ain’t agoin’ out ter sea !” 

“Just what they air,” shouted her husband, 
shading his eyes with a wrinkled hand. “I never 
thought ter have lived ter have seen such a 
thing!” 

Roy had been unable to resist the temptation 
to take a little spin out above the glassy, scarcely 
heaving water. The gulls, soaring above it, 
viewed with amazement the invasion of their 
realm by this buzzing, angry looking monster. 
They flew about it shrieking. 

“Goodness, I hope they don’t attack us,” ex- 
claimed Peggy. 

“Not likely,” was Roy’s response. “They think 


140 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

we are some kind of big bird, I guess, and want 

to have a game with us.” 

As they swept on, all agreed that never had 
they felt such a feeling of exhilaration as came 
to them as they swooped and swung above the 
glistening blue water, for all the world like some 
huge bird. Once or twice motor boats went by 
beneath them, and the occupants looked up at 
first in wonderment and then in enthusiasm at 
the sight the Golden Butterfly and her three 
young occupants presented. 

But all at once the steady song of the engine 
began to grow different. It “skipped” and sput- 
tered and coughed. Blue smoke rolled from the 
exhausts. The aeroplane began to waver and 
sag. 

Jeff Stokes turned rather pale. 

“What is the matter ?” he gasped, steadying his 
voice as much as he could as the aeroplane began 
to drop steadily down toward the water beneath 
them. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 141 
'‘The gasolene’s given out,” rejoined Roy in a 
voice which was full of anxiety. 

"Oh, Roy, what shall we do?” 

Peggy gasped as the aeroplane, its propeller 
beating the air more and more feebly, began to 
descend with greater rapidity. 

"WeTl have to volplane to some land if we 
can, and if we can’t we must take our chances 
for it in the water,” was Roy’s grim reply. 


142 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XII. 

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ISLAND. 

“Look,” cried Peggy suddenly, “isn't that a 
small island below there? Maybe we can make 
that?” 

“I'll try to,” was the answer, as Roy gripped 
the steering wheel more firmly. 

At the same instant the motor, with a gasp 
and a sputter, gave out altogether. But Roy 
knew how to volplane ; that is, to reach the earth 
by swinging the aeroplane in circles so that her 
stability was maintained even with the power 
cut off. 

He began to execute this maneuver now. The 
island which Peggy had indicated was a small 
spot of land some five miles off the shore. It 
was sandy and barren looking on one side, 
though at the further end from them there grew 
some trees and scrubby looking bushes. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 143 
If he could only keep the aeroplane from sag- 
ging down into the sea Roy was confident he 
could land at the place in safety. But it was still 
some distance off and the aeroplane was still 
dropping with much greater rapidity than seemed 
comfortable. Both Roy and his sister were ex- 
pert swimmers, and the boy knew that Jeff was 
at home in the water. But at the same time, if 
they struck the surface of the sea, there was the 
chance that they might become entangled in the 
aeroplane and drowned before they had an op- 
portunity to save themselves. So it was with a 
keen sense of apprehension that the boy exer- 
cised all the air craft of which he was master in 
bringing his sky cruiser downward. 

“Oh!” cried Peggy suddenly as the Golden 
Butterfly gave a sickening downward drop like 
a stone plunging to vacancy. 

But the empty “air pocket” which the craft had 
struck was a small one, and the next instant the 
atmosphere caught the broad wings and buoyed 


144 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


the aeroplane up from what seemed to be des- 
tined to be a disastrous fall. 

The drop had, however, had one good effect. 
It had thrown the aeroplane almost on end, 
and in that manner drained a few last driblets 
of gasolene from the depleted tank into the feed 
pipes. 

It was only a little fuel, but it was enough to 
cause the engine to resume operations for a 
couple of minutes. Taking advantage of this 
lucky accident, Roy drove forward, and as the 
propeller came once more to a standstill the 
Golden Butterfly sank down into a bed of sand 
which made her almost at once stationary. 

“Well, we are — aerial Robinson Crusoes,” ex- 
claimed Peggy as, having clambered out of the 
chassis, she stood surveying the little island 
which they had so fortunately landed upon. 

“Yes, and if we don’t get some gasolene pretty 
quick we’ll be Crusoes in a mighty uncomfortable 
sense,” commented Roy, moodily gazing about 
at the surrounding sea, smooth as a sheet of 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 145 
glass and without the sign of a boat upon it. 
Far off on the horizon there hung a three- 
masted schooner, all her sails set, in the flat 
calm. But she was too far off to aid them even 
had she been able to. 

“Tell you what we’ll do, let’s explore the 
island,” said Jeff Stokes suddenly. 

“Of course,” cried Peggy, clapping her hands, 
“that’s what everybody does in story books when 
they are stranded on a desert island, and right 
after that they always find just what they want, 
even down to a silver-mounted manicure set.” 

“I’d like to see a tin-mounted can of gasolene,” 
grunted Roy. Nevertheless after seeing to the 
engine of the aeroplane he was willing enough 
to set out with the others to explore this little 
spot of land in the Sound. 

It was so small that it did not take them long 
to reach the summit of the low peak into which it 
rose in the centre. 

“Oh, there’s a little hut!” cried Peggy, sud- 
denly. 


146 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


Sure enough, below them, and half overgrown 
with tall weeds and scrub growth, was a half 
ruined hut. It was doubtless the relic of some 
fisherman who had once used the island as head- 
quarters. But it had, apparently, long lapsed 
into disuse. 

Hardly had they spied it before Roy made an- 
other discovery. Drawn up in a miniature cove 
not far from the hut was a trim and trig white 
motor boat, seemingly, from her long narrow 
shape and powerful engines, capable of great 
speed. 

Here was a discovery! A motor boat meant 
gasolene and companionship. 

With a soft cry of joy Peggy was dashing for- 
ward toward the hut, from which they could now 
hear proceeding the hum of human voices, when 
Roy suddenly checked her. From the doorway 
there had suddenly issued the figure of Morgan, 
the Bancrofts’ butler. He gazed about him with 
a look of half alarmed suspicion on his flabby 
face. The young aviators instinctively crouched 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 147 
back behind a screen of green brush. They felt 
a suddenly aroused premonition that everything 
was not as it should be. 

“H'its nothink," said Morgan, addressing 
someone within the hut, after he had gazed about 
a little more without seeing anything to further 
alarm his suspicions. 

“All right, if that's the case come back in 
here," came another voice from inside the hut. 

“Giles !" recognized the astonished Peggy. But 
another and a greater surprise was yet in store 
for them when they heard another voice strike 
into the conversation. There was no mistaking 
the tones for any others than Fanning Harding's. 

“You chaps are nervous as kittens," he was 
saying, “who on earth would come to this island ? 
We are as private here as if we were in the 
South Seas. Now go ahead, Morgan, with what 
you were saying." 

“Well, what h'l says is this," spoke up the 
English butler, “a fair diwision and no favor- 
itism. You say you want a third? You ain't 


148 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


h’entitled to h’it. H’it was honly by haccident 
that you found h’out h’our secret h’and hT thinks 
you ought to be content with what you can ge t.” 

''Very well,” was the rejoinder, “but as you 
fellows know, I’ve got you in my power. You 
daren’t make a move without consulting me. If 
you try any monkey tricks I’ll crush you so quick 
you won’t know what struck you. The police 
are still carrying on their investigation, and ” 

But here the voices sank so low that the eager 
young listeners could hear no more. But their 
eyes shone as they exchanged glances. Some- 
how both Peggy and Roy felt that the conver- 
sation had related to the mysterious vanishing 
of the jewels. This at least appeared clear from 
Fanning Harding’s reference to the police. 

“We’d better get back to the other side of the 
island before they come out and see us,” coun- 
seled Peggy. “If they were to find out we had 
been spying on them they might get frightened 
and spirit the jewels away from wherever they 
have them concealed, for I’m just as sure now 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 149 
that they are all three mixed up in it as I am 
that — that " 

“We have no gasolene/' put in Roy. 

“But you have no proof and nothing to go 
upon/' objected Jeff Stokes who was, like most 
folks around Sandy Bay, familiar with the de^ 
tails of the strange occurrence. 

“That's just the trouble," said Peggy, “and it 
is just as impossible to go ahead in the case as 
it is for us to fly without fuel." 

“Peg!" cried Roy, suddenly, “look at that!" 

“That" was a ten gallon can of gasolene stand- 
ing on the beach by the side of the motor boat. 
Evidently, to drag her bow up on the beach, they 
had lightened the craft so as to make the task 
easier, for several ropes, water jars and other 
bits of marine tackle lay about. 

“If we could only get it," sighed Peggy. 

“Yes, if," was the rejoinder from Roy, “but 
we can't steal it, and, as you say, it might spoil 
everything if Fanning Harding thought that we 
had overheard any of his talk." 


150 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Look out!” warned Jeff Stokes in a whisper 
the next instant. The warning did not come a 
bit too soon. The door of the hut opened and the 
party which had been in conference inside 
emerged. They made straight for the motor 
boat, which Jeff Stokes had, in the meantime, 
recognized as one that was for hire at Sandy 
Bay. 

“Come on, boys, we’ve got to be getting 
back,” urged Fanning moving quickly and pre- 
paring to shove the craft off. 

“Wait till I chuck some of this truck in,” 
grumbled Giles. 

He stooped and rapidly threw in the ropes and 
other gear scattered about. Then as Fanning 
Harding and the flabby-faced butler shoved the 
craft off he made a hasty scramble for the boat’s 
bow, leaping in as she floated free of the beach. 

“H’l soy,” shouted Morgan, “you forgot the 
bloomin’ gasolene.” 

“Better put back and get it,” growled Giles; 
“if you fellows had helped me a bit instead of 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 151 
givin' advice it wouldn't have bin forgotten." 

“Oh, we can't bother with it now," struck in 
Fanning, impatiently, “we've plenty in the tank 
to take us back. I'm not going to delay any 
longer." 

He spun over the fly wheel as he spoke and the 
motor boat began to cut rapidly through the 
water headed for Sandy Bay. As soon as it 
had gone a safe distance the three stranded 
young adventurers joined hands and executed a 
wild war dance of joy. By a means almost mi- 
raculous they had fallen across the very thing 
they needed. 

“It's just like the story books!" cried Peggy, 
delightedly. 

They raced down toward the coveted can, 
which was half full of the precious fuel. Enough 
to get them ashore at any rate. Before return- 
ing to the stranded aeroplane they examined the 
hut, but found nothing in it but a few broken- 
down bits of furniture. 

“Queer," commented Jeff, “I half expected to 
find something." 


152 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Not likely/' laughed Roy, “they're too foxy 
, for that." 

“What do you suppose they came to the island 
for?" asked Peggy. 

“To get a quiet place to talk where they would 
not be observed by any one who knew them, I 
guess," rejoined her brother, “Oh, if only we 
could solve the mystery. Its tantalizing to be so 
close to it and yet with so many tangled ends left 
ravelled." 

“Be patient," advised Peggy, “it will all come 
out in time. And now I'm as famished for lunch 
as the Golden Butterfly is, so lets fill up the tank 
and then head for home." 

“Second the motion," laughed Jeff Stokes. 

Half an hour later the Golden Butterfly once 
more rose, and without incident or mishap 
winged her way back to Rocky Point. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


153 


CHAPTER XIII. 

JUKES DADE APPEARS. 

The aviation field at Acatonick a few days be- 
fore the big contests for juvenile aviators was 
alive with action and color. The spot selected 
was a flat, smooth field of some fifty acres on 
the outskirts of the town. 

The grass spread a green carpet, thickly sprin- 
kled with wild flowers, while at one side of the 
place was a row of green-painted sheds known 
as the “hangars.” 

“Hangar is French for shed,” Peggy had ex- 
plained to a group of friends from Sandy Bay 
whom she was showing over the grounds, “and 
I think that shed is a whole lot better word than 
‘Ongar/ which is the way you are supposed to 
pronounce it.” 

One of the sheds — as in deference to Peggy 
we shall call them — was of a different color, and 


154 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

stood somewhat apart from the rest. It was also 
much larger and bore in consequential-looking 
letters over its door the words: 

‘‘Harding Aeroplane Company. Keep Out.” 

And to see that this notice was enforced to 
the letter, Fanning Harding had installed a red- 
nosed watchman with a formidable club at the 
portal. Considerable secrecy, in fact, had been 
observed concerning his aeroplane. Several large 
boxes had arrived one night and been hustled 
as quickly as possible into the shed. 

The shed assigned to Roy Prescott, happened, 
by an odd coincidence, to be next door to the 
Harding one. The second day of their stay at 
Acatonick, Roy, on coming down to the field 
from the hotel at which he and Peggy and Miss 
Prescott were stopping, was much surprised to be 
greeted by Fanning, with some effusiveness. 

After a lot of preliminary hemming and haw- 
ing, Fanning broached to Roy once more the 
proposition of selling the Golden Butterfly. 

“But I thought you had a fine type of aero- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 155 
plane of your own,” said Roy, wondering at this 
renewal of Fanning's offer. 

“So I have," was the rejoinder, “but now that 
I have established my business on a paying busi- 
ness basis I can handle another type. You know 
mine is a bi-plane model." 

Roy nodded. He had no liking for Fanning, 
but the other was so effusive that he felt it was 
incumbent on him to meet the other lad half way, 
- as the saying is. 

“I'd like to have a look at your craft some- 
time," he said. 

“Not much you won't," rejoined Fanning, 
quickly, “you’ll see her on the day she wins the 
big prize and not before." 

“You seem to have it won already," rejoined 
Roy, rather contemptuously. 

“Oh, yes," was the confident reply, “I’m going 
to simply fly rings round you and the rest, so 
you’d better take up my offer now, for after the 
race your Golden Butterfly stock won’t be worth 
a penny." 


156 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“I’m not so certain about that,” was the an- 
swer. 

“Then you won’t take up my offer. I’ll raise 
it another two hundred.” 

Roy smiled and shook his head. Something in 
his refusal angered the other lad. 

“Well as you wish,” he said, strolling off, “but 
dad has been pretty lenient with you up to date. 
As you won’t meet us half way, though I’m go- 
ing to advise him to force you to sell the Golden 
Butterfly.” 

“How?” 

“By foreclosing that mortgage without further 
delay.” 

Fanning whipped the words out with a vicious 
intonation. All his mean nature surged up into 
his face as he spoke. Roy breathed a little 
quicker. But outwardly he was calm and cold as 
ice. 

“That’s your privilege,” he said shortly, turn- 
ing away, but that night he and Peggy had a 
troubled discussion about ways and means, and 



with a vicious intonation. 




AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 157 
it became more than ever evident to them how 
much depended on winning the five thousand dol- 
lar prize. 

There were several aspirants in the juvenile 
class on the grounds as well as fliers of more 
mature years, for Mr. Higgins had interested 
some other capitalists, and it had been decided 
to make quite an event out of the aerial meet. 

On the day before the race, which meant so 
much to them, Peggy and Roy decided to take 
a practice spin across country in their ’plane. 
The capable looking machine excited much favor- 
able comment when it was wheeled out of its 
shed. Several of the other competitors gathered 
about it while the engine was being tuned up. 
Among them was a surly looking chap with a 
dark, roughly-shaven chin and a pair of shifty 
eyes. He stood beside Fanning Harding, who 
was also in the crowd about the Golden Butter- 
fly. 

The Sandy Bay boy gazed on with a sneering 
look while our two young aviators got everything 


158 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

in readiness. This took some time for every- 
body was anxious to take a hand in the work, 
and it was quite a task to kindly, but steadfastly, 
reject these offers, well meant as they were. 

At last everything appeared to be in good 
shape and with a buzz and a whirr the engine 
was tried out. It worked perfectly, and before 
the crowd had had time to cheer, the aeroplane 
shot up from the ground in front of its shed 
with hardly any preliminary run. Then came a 
belated cheer. 

“That’s the craft that wins the big prize,” said 
a stout, good-natured looking man. 

“Don’t you be so certain,” snapped out Fan- 
ning Harding, who stood close by, and to whom 
the words were gall. 

“Why, what’s the matter with you, my young 
friend,” asked the jovial man; “you must be 
meaning to get it yourself.” 

“That’s right,” was the confident reply. 

“Well, don’t count your aerial chicks before 
they’re hatched,” was the merry rejoinder. A 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 159 
laugh at Fanning's expense went up from the 
crowd. The boy flushed angrily and strode off 
in the direction of his hangar. 

'‘Confound that young Jackanapes of a Roy 
Prescott," he muttered, as he went; “he gets 
ahead of me every time. But I'll fix him. Pop 
needs that land, and if Roy wins this race the 
Prescotts can pay off that mortgage and be on 
the road to riches. Well, I guess I'll settle all 
that. But I'll have to act quickly." 

“You seem to be sore on that Prescott boy," 
came a voice at his shoulder suddenly. 

Fanning turned quickly to find himself con- 
fronted by the unprepossessing individual who 
had stood at his side during the start of the 
Golden Butterfly, which was by this time almost 
out of sight in the eastward. 

“Why, what do you know about it?" he asked, 
sharply. 

“Well," was the rejoinder, “being an observ- 
ing sort of an individual I figured out that you 


160 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


were not best pleased at seeing what a fine aero- 
plane that kid has. Right, ain't I ?" 

He coolly took from his pocket a disgusting- 
looking cigar stump and proceeded to light it, 
leering impudently into Fanning's face the while. 

“Well, may be you are and then again you may 
not be," was the Sandy Bay youngster's cau- 
tious reply; “but how does it interest you?" 

“Because I haven't any more use for him than 
you have, and if you make it worth my while I'll 
give you a bit of information that will be of value 
to you." 

“What do you mean?" inquired Fanning, be- 
ginning to listen with more attention than he had 
hitherto shown. 

“Just this, that I'm Jukes Dade, who used to 
work for Mr. Prescott years ago, but he dis- 
charged me for — for — well for a little fault of 
drinking I had. Come now, don't you recognize 
me?" 

“By George, I do," exclaimed Fanning; “but 
it was so many years ago you were with Mr. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


161 


Prescott that I hardly knew you. You have 
changed greatly/’ 

“I may have,” was the reply in bitter tones. 
“I’ve been through enough. But there’s one 
thing I ain’t never forgotten in all these years, 
and that is my resolve to get even on old man 
Prescott.” 

“But he is dead,” put in Fanning, wondering 
at the baleful expression of hatred that had come 
into the man’s face. 

“All true enough. I heard that some time 
ago. But if I can injure the son in any way, I’d 
like to do it. I’ve got a wrong to avenge, and if 
you want to pay well to have Roy Prescott put 
out of the race to-morrow I’m your man.” 

“Hush, don’t talk so loud. Some folks over 
there are looking at us.” 

“Oh, well, if you’re afraid to ” 

“No, no, that isn’t it. I must prevent Roy 
winning that race to-morrow at all hazards. 
Come into my hangar and we can talk quietly.” 

“Ah, that’s the talk,” was the rejoinder, and 


162 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


Jukes Dade chuckled with grim delight. “You 
want a little job of work done to settle our 
friend’s hash. Well, you’ve come to the right 
shop when you meet up with old Jukes Dade who 
has an axe of his own to grind.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


163 


CHAPTER XIV. 

A GIRT aviator's ADVENTURE). 

In the meantime, Peggy and Roy, the former 
at the steering wheel and controls, were skim- 
ming through the air above the charming coun- 
try surrounding Acatonick. The exhilaration 
of flying, the thrill and zest of it, were 
strong upon them as they glided along, and they 
made an extended flight. 

“She is working like a three-hundred-dollar 
watch," cried Roy joyously as the speedy mono- 
plane flew onward. 

“She's a darling," was Peggy's enthusiastic re- 
sponse. “I'm sure that if nothing happens you'll 
win that race to-morrow, Roy." 

“I hope so, little sister," was the response, “for 
there's % whole lot depending on it." 

“But just think. If you only do we shall be 


at the end of our troubles." 


164 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Not quite, sis,” Roy reminded her, “that af- 
fair of the missing jewels is still a mystery, and 
as long as it stays so some folks will always be 
suspicious of me.” 

“Oh, Roy, don’t say such things. Nobody but 
the horridest of the horrid would ” 

“Unluckily,” struck in the boy, “there are a 
lot of the horridest of the horrid in this world, 
and some of them are in Sandy Bay.” 

He laughed and then went on more seri- 
ously : 

“It’s a pretty nasty feeling, I can tell you, to 
know that you are unjustly suspected by several 
folks of — of — er — knowing more about an affair 
of that kind than you tell.” 

“What can have become of the jewels?” 

“Ah, that’s just it. Of course we have our 
suspicion, based really on nothing, that Fanning 
Harding knows something about them. But if 
he did why would he place that wallet on the, 
porch of Jess’s home?” 

“It’s beyond me.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIKSHIP 165 

‘'And beyond me, too. I’m quite sure that no- 
body was about the place when the accident hap- 
pened, and I could not have been unconscious 
more than a few seconds. Now who could have 
stolen the wallet in that time?” 

"It will all come out in time. I’m sure of it, 
Roy, dear,” said Peggy, earnestly. "Perhaps it 
will turn out to be not such a mystery after all.” 

"I don’t know,” was Roy’s rejoinder. “Mr. 
Bancroft has had some of the cleverest detect- 
ives in the country on the case, and a description 
of the jewels, some of which were heirlooms, has 
been wired everywhere broadcast. But up to 
date none of them have turned up at any pawn- 
shops or other likely places.” 

For some moments more they talked in this 
strain, when Peggy suddenly gave a cry and 
pointed below. They were passing over a tiny 
lake surrounded by steeply sloping banks, wooded 
with beautiful trees. It was an isolated spot, no 
human habitation being near at hand apparently. 

"Oh, isn’t that pretty?” cried Peggy delighted- 


166 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


ly. “It looks as if it might have come out of a 
picture book.” 

“And the sight of that water reminds me 
that I’m terribly thirsty,” said Roy. “I bet there 
are some springs by that lake, or if there are not 
maybe the water is good to drink from the lake 
itself.” 

“Let’s go down and see,” said Peggy, with a 
bright smile, and setting over a lever and twist- 
ing a couple of valves she began to depress the 
aeroplane. 

“There’s a good landing place off there to the 
right of the end of the lake,” cried Roy, indicat- 
ing a bare spot where some land seemed to have 
been cleared at one time. 

“All right, my brilliant brother,” laughed 
Peggy merrily. “I saw it at least five minutes 
ago. Hold tight, I’m going to drop fast.” 

To any one less accustomed to aerial naviga- 
tion than our two young friends, the downward 
plunge would have been alarming in its velocity. 
But to them it was merely exciting. Within a 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 167 
few feet of the ground, just when it seemed they 
must dash against the surface of the earth with 
crushing force, Peggy set the planes on a rising 
angle and the Golden Eagle settled to earth 
as gracefully as a tired bird. 

“Well, here we are/' exclaimed Roy, looking 
about him at the sylvan scene as they alighted; 
“and now what comes next?” 

“A hunt for the spring, of course,” cried 
Peggy, placing one hand on her brother's shoul- 
der and nimbly leaping from the chassis to the 
soft, springy ground. And off they set toward 
the margin of the little lake below them. 

“Reminds me of Ponce de Leon's hunt for a 
spring,” laughed Roy, who felt in high spirits 
over the fine way the Golden Butterfly had con- 
ducted herself. 

“But he was looking for the Fountain of Eter- 
nal Youth,” said Peggy, quickly. 

“Wonder if he'd have been any happier if he'd 
found it,” murmured Roy, philosophically. 


168 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“If he’d been a woman he would,” said Peggy. 

“Would what? Have found it?” 

“No, you goose, but have been perfectly happy 
if he had attained perpetual youth. Why, I 
think Why, whatever was that ?” 

The girl broke off short in her laughing re- 
marks and an expression of startled astonishment 
crept over her features. 

“Why, it’s some one groaning,” cried Roy, af- 
ter a brief period of listening. 

“Yes. Some one in pain, too. IPs off this 
way. Come on, Roy, let us find out what is the 
matter.” 

Without a thought of personal danger, but 
with all her warm girlish sympathy aroused, 
plucky Peggy plunged off on to a path, from a 
spot along which it appeared the injured person 
must be groaning. But Roy caught her arm and 
pulled her back while he stepped in front of her. 

“Let me go first, sis,” he said ; “we don’t know 
what may be the matter.” 

Peggy dutifully tiptoed along behind, as with 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 169 
hearts that beat somewhat faster than usual they 
made their way down the narrow path which led 
them into the deep gloom of the deeper woods. 
All at once Roy halted. They had arrived on the 
edge of a little clearing in the midst of which 
stood a tiny and roughly built hut with a big 
stone chimney at one end. Although the place 
was primitive it was scrupulously neat. 

Painted white with green shutters, with a 
bright flower garden in front, it was a veritable 
picture of rural thrift. 

The boy hesitated for an instant as they stood 
on the opposite edge of the cleared ground. There 
was no question but that they had reached the 
place whence the groans had proceeded. As they 
stood there the grim sounds began once more, 
after being hushed for an instant. Now, how- 
ever, they took coherent form. 

“Oh, help me! Help me!” 

Roy was undetermined no longer. Directing 
Peggy to remain outside till he summoned her, 
he walked rapidly, and with a firm step, up the 


170 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

path leading to the hut, and entered. It was so 
dark inside that at first he could see nothing. 
But pretty soon he spied a huddled form in one 
corner. 

“Oh, don’t hurt me ! I’m only a harmless old 
man ! I have no money,” cried the cringing fig- 
ure, as Roy entered. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” said the boy kind- 
ly; “I want to help you.” 

He now saw that the form in the corner was 
that of an old man with a silvery beard and long 
white hair. From a gash on his forehead blood 
was flowing, and the wound seemed to have been 
recently inflicted. 

“What is the matter? What has happened?” 
asked Roy, gently, as he raised the old man to a 
chair into which he fell limply. 

“Water! water!” he cried, feebly. 

Roy hastened outside saying to himself as he 
went: 

“This is a case for Peggy.” 

Summoning her he hastily related what had 


AND THE PHANTOM AIR-SHIP 171 
occurred and the warm-hearted girl, with many 
exclamations of pity, hastened to the wounded 
man’s side. 

“Get me some water quick, Roy,” she ex- 
claimed, tearing a long strip from her linen petti- 
coat to serve as a bandage. Outside the hut, 
Roy soon found a spring, back of a rickety sta- 
ble in which the old man had a horse and a ram- 
shackle buggy. 

When he returned with the water the poor 
old fellow took a long draught from a cup Peggy 
held to his lips and the girl then deftly washed 
and bandaged his wound. This done the vener- 
able old man seemed to rally, and sitting up in 
his chair thanked his young friends warmly. 
Roy, in the meantime, had been looking about 
the hut and saw that it was furnished in plain, 
but tidy style. Over the great open fireplace, at 
one end, hung a big picture. Evidently the can- 
vas was many years old. It was the portrait of 
a fine, self-reliant looking young man in early 
manhood. His blue eyes gazed confidently out 


172 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


from the picture and a smile of seeming satis- 
faction quivered about his lips. 

‘Til bet that’s a fellow who has got on in the 
world,” thought Roy to himself as he scanned 
the capable, strong features. 

“Ah,” said the old man, observing the lad’s in- 
terest in the painting, “that picture is a relic of 
old, old days. It is a portrait of my brother 

James. He But I must tell you how I came 

to be in the sad condition in which you found 
me. Have you a comfortable chair, miss? Yes, 
very well, then I will tell you what happened this 
afternoon in this hut, and will then relate to you 
something of my own story for I was not always 
a hermit and an outcast.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


173 


CHAPTER XV. 
the: hermit op the woods. 

“My name is Peter Bell/’ began the old man, 
“and many years ago I was like any other happy, 
care-free young man, who is the son of well-to- 
do parents. I had a brother named James Bell, 
who was much younger than me. We were very 
fond of each other and inseparable. 

“Our home was on the Long Island coast and 
we often went boating. One day when we were 
out in my boat a storm came up and she cap- 
sized. I tried to save my brother who was a poor 
swimmer. But in the midst of my efforts the 
bulwark of the wave-tossed boat struck my head 
and rendered me insensible. It seems, however, 
I must have clung to the boat, for when I came 
to myself I had almost been blown ashore, and, 
striking out, I soon reached it. 

“But to my horror I soon saw that people 


174 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

shunned me. In some way the story got about 
that I had saved myself at the expense of my 
brother's life. Such stories are always readily 
credited among the majority of people in a small 
town and the tale spread like wildfire with ex- 
aggerations. Driven half wild by the general 
contempt which I met on every side I left home 
one night, and having a sum of money in my 
own right I decided to live the life of a recluse. 

“I recollected this spot to which I had come on 
hunting expeditions in brighter days. Not long 
after, grief over my brother's death resulted in 
my mother's life coming to a close, and shortly 
afterward my father's demise occurred. 

“They left but little, but I managed to secure 
that portrait of my brother you see hanging up 
there and a few bits of favorite furniture asso- 
ciated with happier times. 

“I have lived here ever since and have become 
reconciled to my fate. From time to time I used 
to advertise for news of my brother, offering 
rewards, but long ago I stopped that, and have 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 175 
no doubt that he perished in the storm, although 
for a time I comforted myself by thinking that 
he might, by some strange chance, have been 
saved. 

“In some way a rumor has spread through the 
countryside that I have much wealth hidden 
here, and this afternoon four masked men en- 
tered the hut and when I protested, in reply to 
their demands, that I had no money, they struck 
me down and searched the house. Then curs- 
ing me for a fraud and an imposter because they 
found no gold they left, leaving me to my fate.” 

“You have no idea who the men were?” asked 
Roy who, like Peggy, had listened with close at- 
tention to the old man's story. 

“Yes, I think they were young men of bad 
reputation from a neighboring village; however, 
I am not sure. I am certain that I recollected 
hearing the voice of one of them when I was in 
the market in that village some time ago.” 

“Oh, then, you do go into town sometimes?” 
asked Roy* 


176 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“Oh, yes,” rejoined the hermit, “but no more 
than I can help. I have long since departed from 
the ways of the world and the habitations of 
men. But I gather herbs in the woods for miles 
about and sell them to folks in the villages.” 

“I suppose that is why you have the horse 
and cart?” put in Peggy, who had been gazing 
out of the window and had noticed the tumble- 
down barn. 

“Yes,” rejoined the old man. “I am not as 
active as I was once and my old bones will not 
carry me as far as they used to. So I drive old 
Dobbin when I have a journey of any length to 
make.” 

The hermit would not hear of any help being 
summoned for him. He said that he was in no 
danger of a second attack, as the search of his 
little property had been thorough and had re- 
sulted in the rascals, who had invaded his haunts, 
getting nothing for their pains. Refusing some 
refreshment the old man offered, the young avia- 
tors soon after left the hut, promising to call in 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 177 
again in a few days and give the hermit an op- 
portunity to see the aeroplane in which he was 
much interested. The old man asked them many 
questions about the races of the next day and 
seemed interested in hearing the details. 

The Golden Butterfly they found just as they 
had left her, and clambering on board they were 
soon winging their way back to Acatonick where, 
as you may imagine, they had an interesting story 
of the incidents of the afternoon to relate to Miss 
Prescott that evening. 

“I never saw such children for adventures in 
all my born days,” she declared, “but I have a 
letter here which I must show you. I am afraid 
it means that we shall have to leave the old 
home.” 

She drew an envelope from her handbag which 
lay on a table of the hotel room and handed it 
to Roy. On opening it, he found that it con- 
tained a formal notice from the Sandy Bay 
Bank, that unless the accumulated interest and 
other moneys owing them were paid up within 


178 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


a week that foreclosure proceedings would be 
taken. The boy gave a disconsolate whistle as 
he finished reading the letter aloud and handed it 
back. 

He had hardly done so when there came a rap 
on the door of the room. “I wonder who that 
can be so late?” thought Roy, getting up and 
going to the door. 

A bellboy stood there with a note. 

“A messenger just brought this from the avia- 
tion grounds,” he said. “Any answer?” 

“Wait a minute,” said Roy, skimming hastily 
through the note. It was typewritten and 
signed: — James Jarvis, Superintendent of Ar- 
rangements. 

“Dear sir: You are requested to report at the 
executive tent at once. An important meeting 
will take place affecting the competitors in the 
races to-morrow.” 

This was what Roy read. Then he turned to 
the bellboy and told the lad to inform the mes- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 179 
senger that he would be there as soon as pos 
sible. 

“Queer though,” he said to Peggy and hD 
aunt. “I didn’t know of any meeting that was 
scheduled to take place to-night. I guess it’s 
one that’s been called at the eleventh hour to 
make some arrangements.” 

“That must be it,” agreed Peggy. “Shall I 
come with you?” 

“No, thanks, sis,” rejoined the boy; “you’d 
better get to bed. It’s going to be an exciting 
day to-morrow for us all.” 

The boy snatched up his cap and with a hasty 
good-bye, was off. 

Downstairs in the lobby of the hotel he found 
the messenger awaiting him, — a shifty-eyed man 
with a blue chin. It was, in fact, Jukes Dade, 
who, in a different suit of clothes and with a 
clean shave and haircut, looked a trifle more pre- 
sentable than he had earlier in the day when he 
made himself known to Fanning. 


180 


THE GIEL AVIATOES 


“This way, sir,” he said, with a fawning sort 
of bow. 

“Out of this door is the quickest,” said Roy 
quickly, with a feeling that he would rather walk 
to the grounds alone than with such a compan- 
ion. 

“But we’re not going to walk, sir. The com- 
mittee has sent an auto for you.” 

“A car, eh?” said Roy; “well, that’s consider- 
ate of them. I’ll tell my sister. She might like 
to come along, too.” 

The messenger shook his head. 

“Sorry, sir; but we’ve got to pick up some 
other aviators on our way and every bit of room 
in the car will be taken.” 

“Oh, very well, then,” said Roy, “lead on.” 

The blue-chinned Dade shuffled across the 
lobby with a furtive air. 

“Funny,” thought Roy. “I’ve seen that chap 
some place before, but to save my life I can’t 
place him.” 

Cudgelling his brains to try to recall where he 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 181 
had met the man, Roy passed through the hotel 
lobby and out into the street. In the lamplight 
he saw a big car standing at the curb, shaking 
as its ungeared engine puffed and chugged. A 
chauffeur, with an auto mask and goggles on, 
sat on the front seat. Roy got in behind in the 
tonneau while the messenger took his seat by 
the chauffeur. 

He said something in a low whisper to the 
driver and the next instant there was a grind- 
ing whirr as the gears were connected and the 
car rolled forward. 

“Well, they’ve got a good fast car here,” 
thought Roy, as the machine sped along over the 
roads. “At this rate we ought to be at the 
grounds in ” 

But what was this ? Surely the road they were 
on was not the right one. Leaning forward he 
touched the chauffeur on the shoulder. 

“This isn’t the road to the grounds,” he said. 

“Oh, yes it is,” put in the messenger; “it’s a 
short cut, though. Isn’t it, Fred?” 


182- THE GIRL AVIATORS 

The chauffeur did not speak but merely nodded 
his head. 

Although by no means satisfied with the ex- 
planation, Roy made no immediate comment. In 
the meantime they had passed the outskirts of 
the little town and were now whizzing along an 
unlighted road bordered with big trees. On and 
on they went, and Roy, every minute, grew more 
uneasy. Where could they be taking him? 

“Where are you going?’’ he demanded sud- 
denly, his suspicion showing in his tone as he rose 
in the tonneau and leaned forward. “I want you 
to know that ” 

But before he could utter another word the 
blue-chinned messenger did an astonishing thing. 
With a quick, imperceptible movement he pro- 
duced a revolver and thrust its gleaming barrel 
up under Roy’s nose. 

“Sit back and keep quiet,” he warned, “and 
you’ll be all right If you make a holler you’ll 
get what’s in this barker.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 183 
As he spoke the auto began to slow down, and 
presently a dark form stepped from the shadows 
of the trees ahead and stood awaiting its com- 
ing. 


184 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XVI. 

THE) enemy's MOVE). 

Roy’s first feeling was one of indignation at 
the fellow’s impudence. 

“What do you mean by such conduct,” he 
blurted out angrily. “Take me to the aviation 
grounds at once, or ” 

“That’s just where we are taking you away 
from, young fellow,” sneered the man behind the 
pistol. “Ah ! Don’t move. I’m very nervous and 
if I get excited this pistol might go off. It’s very 
light on the trigger.” 

As he spoke the auto slowed down almost to 
a standstill, and the man who had evidently been 
waiting for it, swung himself on the running 
board and joined the others on the front seat. 
Like the driver, he wore a motoring mask and 
goggles which effectively concealed his features, 
and yet to Roy there was something familiar even 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 185 
about the muffled up figure. Once the third man 
was aboard, the auto plunged forward once more 
at breakneck speed. It rocked from side to side 
on the rough road as it flew along. But the 
man with the pistol kept his weapon levelled at 
Roy throughout all its jouncings and joltings. 

Like a wise boy, Roy had concluded that it 
would be worse than foolish to attempt any re- 
sistance to his abductors. So he sat motionless 
and silent as the car tore onward through the 
night. He had not the least idea where they 
were, nor for what place they could be bound. 
Nor had he yet had time to think over the rea- 
son for this bold kidnapping. 

Now, however, it was plain that the object of 
the trip was to take him to some place and hold 
him prisoner till the aero race was over. It 
struck him with cruel force that, unless he could 
manage to escape, the object of the expedition 
seemed very likely to prove successful. 

All at once the car struck a bump in the road 
with a violent wrenching thud. It leaped into the 


186 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


air like a live thing while a frightened shout burst 
from the throats of the men on the front seat. 
Mechanically Roy gripped the sides of the ton- 
neau to avoid being thrown out like a missile. 

The next instant, with a rasping grind and a 
sickening swaying and jouncing the car tore full 
tilt down the side of the road, which, at this point, 
was banked, and fetched up motionless and hub- 
deep in a pool of dark water. 

"Don’t let the kid escape,” came a shout from 
the man who had boarded the car on the road- 
side, as the auto ceased to move. 

But before the words had left his lips Roy had 
perceived that the water in the pond was not 
much more than knee high. Quick as a cat he was 
out of the tonneau before any of the others had 
time to collect their wits. As the man shouted 
his warning the lad struck out through the oozy 
ground, seeking, with every ounce of his 
strength, to shroud himself in the darkness at 
the pond edge before the pistol wielder could lo- 
cate him. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 1S7 

But he had not gone more than a few steps 
when — 

Bang! 

A red flash cut the night behind him and a 
bullet whistled by his ear. 

“Look out, you fool, you don’t want to kill 
him,” came a voice behind him. 

“Gid Gibbons,” flashed through Roy’s mind. 
He was almost at a thick clump of alders now. 
As he heard the splashing of the bodies of the ab- 
ductors, as they took to the water after him, he 
plunged into the coppice and pushed rapidly on 
into its intricacies. 

Shouts and cries came from behind him, and 
suddenly a blinding shaft of white radiance cut 
through the blackness. They had turned on the 
searchlight of the car in a determined effort to 
locate their escaped prisoner. 

As the light penetrated among the maze of 
alder trunks, Roy threw himself flat. While his 
pursuers hunted about, muttering and angrily 
discussing the situation, he crouched in his shel- 


188 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

ter, hardly daring to breathe. After what seemed 
an eternity of suspense he heard one of the 
men, whose voice he seemed to recognize as that 
of the pistol carrier, angrily declaiming. 

“Aw, what's ther use, ther kid is a mile off by 
this time, worse luck.” 

“Hush, don't talk so loud,” came another 
voice. “You don't know who may be about.” 

“Well, we'd better be getting that car out of 
the mud and making ourselves scarce,” came in 
the tones which Roy was certain were those 
of Gid Gibbons. “If there's a hue and cry raised 
about this and they find that car stranded here 
they can easy trace us.” 

“That's so,” was the response in the voice of 
Jukes Dade. “Come on, boys, we'll get her out 
of this confounded slough if we can, and get back 
to town.” 

The voices died away as they retreated, splash- 
ing like water animals through the mud and 
ooze. 

As silence fell once more Roy straightened up 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 18 !) 
from his unpleasant situation and looked about 
him. The night was starry, and above his head 
he could see The Dipper. Pie knew that the out- 
side stars of this constellation pointed to the 
North Star and he soon had the latter located. 
This gave him the points of the compass, and 
figuring that Acatonick must lie to the east of 
his present position, he struck out in that direc- 
tion as nearly as he could. 

He had no idea of the time, to his great cha- 
grin, for in his haste to obey the forged sum- 
mons to the flying track he had forgotten to 
bring his watch. In fact, in his hurry, he had 
slipped into an old coat, the pockets of which con- 
tained nothing more useful to him than a packet 
of chewing gum. He slipped a wad of this into 
his mouth to “keep him company"’ as he ex- 
pressed it to himself, and grittily went forward. 

The wood ended presently, and he found him- 
self in a field with woods on all three sides, except 
that on which the swamp impinged. Little as he 
liked the idea of plunging into pathless woods, 


190 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


with nothing to guide him but the stars, as he 
glimpsed them through the trees, there was no 
help for it. Go on he must. Crossing the field 
rapidly he soon reached the border of the tangle 
and entered its black shadows. Keeping as 
straight a line as he could he hastened forward; 
and to his great delight, soon saw that the trees 
were beginning to thin out, and that beyond lay, 
apparently, open country. 

“Hooray, Fm bound to strike a road before 
long now,” thought Roy gleefully and quick- 
ened his pace. 

He had not gone more than a few paces, how- 
ever, when through the trees he heard a strange 
sound. It was a clinking sound like the rattling 
of a chain. 

The boy was bold enough, but the mysterious 
sound on the edge of that dark wood caused his 
pulses to beat a bit quicker. What could it be? 

Gradually, as he stood still among the trees, 
the sound drew closer. 

“Ghosts in story books always clank chains,” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 101 
thought Roy, to himself. “Now if I believed in 
such things, I ” 

He stopped short abruptly, as, from behind a 
clump of brush in the direction from whence the 
clanking had proceeded, there suddenly emerged 
a tall form all in white. 

"Good gracious !” cried Roy, considerably star- 
tled by the sight of this sudden apparition. "I 
do believe ” 

But at the sight of the white form he had in- 
voluntarily given a backward step. Without the 
slightest warning he felt the ground suddenly 
give way under his feet, and his body shot down 
through space. 

Down, down he shot, a hundred mad thoughts 
twisting dizzily in his head. 

All at once his progress was arrested. Be- 
fore he could realize what had happened he felt 
a flood of icy cold water close over his head and 
a mighty ringing and roaring in his ears. 

But Roy was used to diving, and he auto- 
matically, almost, held his breath till he shot to 


193 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

the surface again. Then he extended his hands 
and found that his fingers encountered a rough 
stone wall of some kind. 

“Fm in an old well,” gasped the boy as the 
truth suddenly flashed across him. He looked 
upward. Far above him, as if seen through a 
telescope, he could see the glittering stars. They 
were reflected, also, in the agitated water about 
him. 

Somewhat to his astonishment, for the thought 
of death itself had been in his mind as he hurtled 
downward, Roy found that he was unhurt. But 
his present position was by no means one to in- 
vite congratulations. At the bottom of an old 
well in the midst of lonely fields he might stay a 
long time before rescue would arrive. 

And in the meantime, — but Roy bravely put 
such thoughts resolutely out of his head, and be- 
gan to feel about him to see if it was not pos- 
sible to find some rough places in the sides of 
the excavation by which he might clamber to the 
surface. But his fingers only encountered stone- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


193 


work set far too smoothly to be of any service 
to him. 

Then he suddenly noticed what he had not ob- 
served before, and that was that a rope depended 
from above, trailing its end down into the water. 
It was too thin to bear his weight, but the boy 
thought he could utilize it to keep himself above 
the surface without effort. 

Tying a loop knot in it he thrust an arm 
through the noose and found that he could sus- 
tain himself very comfortably. Then he began 
to shout. Loudly at first — and then more feebly 
as his voice grew tired. But no answering sound 
came back to him. 

For the first time since he had found himself 
in his predicament cold fear clutched at the young 
aviator’s heart. 

What if nobody heard him and he was com- 
pelled to remain at the bottom of the old well? 

As this thought shot through his mind Roy 
noticed, too, that a deadly chill was beginning 
to creep up his limbs. He shivered waist deep in 
the chilly water as if he had an ague. 


194 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XVII. 

A COWARD AND HIS WAYS. 

Peggy awoke the next day with a feeling of 
distinct uneasiness. She and her aunt had sat up 
till after midnight awaiting Roy's return, but, 
as we know, the lad was in a position from which 
he could not extricate himself. An attempt had 
been made to communicate with the aviation 
grounds, but an unlucky aeroplane had blun- 
dered against the telephone wire during an after- 
noon flight, snapping the thread of communica- 
tion. 

In spite of the late hour at which they had 
retired, however, Miss Prescott and her niece 
were up betimes. But early as it was they found 
the little town all astir. Excursion trains were 
already pouring their crowds into the place 
and the streets were fairly alive with humanity. 
Peggy's first act on awaking was to gaze out 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 195 
of the window, beneath which some fine trees 
grew. Not a breath of wind stirred their leaves. 
The air was as clear and undisturbed as it was 
possible for it to be. 

Donning a white duck skirt and a plain shirt 
waist, and dressing her hair in a becomingly 
simple style, Peggy hastened to the office of the 
hotel, and going to the telephone switchboard 
asked the operator to put her in communication 
with Roy’s room. But after several minutes 
spent in a vain attempt to obtain an answer Cen- 
tral had to inform the anxious girl that there 
was no reply. 

Thinking that after his late absence of the 
night before Roy might have overslept, Peggy 
despatched a bell boy to his room. But the re- 
port came back that the room was empty and that 
Roy’s bed had not been slept in. 

“See if you can get the executive office on 
the aviation grounds,” said Peggy to the ’phone 
girl. But although the wire had been repaired 
and communication was easily established, there 


196 


THE GIKL AVIATOES 


was no news of Roy. Worse still for Peggy’s 
peace of mind, she learned now, for the first 
time, that there had been no meeting at the 
aviation field the night before. 

“If your brother got a note to that effect it 
was a forgery,” said the official who answered 
the call. 

Peggy fairly flew upstairs to her aunt’s room. 
Rapidly she informed Miss Prescott of what had 
happened. 

“Oh, I’m certain now that that hateful Fan- 
ning Harding has something to do with it,” she 
aim t sobbed. 

“Hush, dear,” said her aunt, although in the 
gentle lady’s breast a great fear had arisen, 
“everything may be all right. At any rate, I 
do not believe that any one, no matter how anx- 
ious they were that you should not compete in 
the race, would dare to resort to such methods 
to keep Roy out of the contest.” 

“I don’t know so much about that, auntie,” 
rejoined the girl. “I was in our hangar yester- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 197 
day afternoon and I noticed a horrid looking 
man prowling about with Fanning Harding. If 
it had not been too improbable I should say that 
I knew the man’s face.” 

"My dear 1” exclaimed the good lady in aston- 
ishment. 

"Well,” rejoined Peggy with conviction, "Pm 
almost sure that the man was Jukes Dade, a 
workman who once was employed in his labora- 
tory and workshop by my father. He was a 
skillful mechanic, but dad had to discharge him 
because he drank fearfully. He swore at the 
time that he would get even with us in some 
way. But we never heard any more of him. 
Yet if that really was him with Fanning Hard- 
ing yesterday I’m awfully afraid that there is 
some mischief stirring.” 

"What you say, my dear, makes me also very 
anxious,” responded Miss Prescott. "Perhaps 
we had better communicate with the police at 
once.” 

"Not yet, aunt,” breathed Peggy; "you see, 


198 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

Roy may turn up in time for the race, and if 

he does, everything will be all right.” 

“But, Peggy ” 

“On the other hand, if we spread an alarm 
that he is missing we shall be declared out of 
the contest.” 

“I see what you mean, my dear,” was the re- 
sponse, “and I suppose that what you say is best. 
I feel positive, somehow, that we shall have news 
of Roy before long, and that no harm has come 
to him.” 

But the morning wore on, and no word came. 
In the meantime, every available source of in- 
formation had been canvassed thoroughly with- 
out result. Roy Prescott had totally vanished; 
or so it seemed. 

Peggy, as in duty bound, spent all she could 
spare of the morning at the aviation field, put- 
ting the finishing touches on the Golden But- 
terfly. The big contest was not to be held till 
the afternoon, and in the meantime, some of the 
smaller events were flown off. But Peggy was 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 199 
too heartsick to watch the aeroplanes thunder 
around the course, which was marked out by red 
and white “pylons” or signal towers. 

Instead, she remained in the hangar and kept 
a watchful eye on Fanning Harding, who, with 
some mechanics and the same man she had no- 
ticed about the hangar the day before, was very 
busy over his machine, apparently. But no one 
obtained even a glimpse of Fanning’s air craft, 
for it was not wheeled out, and, except when one 
or the other of his party dodged in or out, the 
doors of his hangar were closed. 

In the course of the morning Fanning’s father 
arrived, and not long after, to Peggy’s un- 
bounded delight, Jess and Jimsy and a party of 
friends drove up to the Prescott hangar. 

“Why, Peggy, what is the matter with you? 
You look positively — er — er — dowdy!” ex- 
claimed Jess, gazing at her friend after first 
greetings were over. 

“And Roy, where is Roy?” demanded Jimsy. 

“Yes, where is he? We want him to explain 


200 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

the points of this gasolene turkey-buzzard to 

us,” cried Ed. Taylor, one of the gay party. 

“I expect him here any minute,” rejoined 
Peggy, and then drawing Jess and Jimsy aside 
she related to them, in a voice that shook in 
spite of herself, the mysterious occurrences of 
the night, and Roy’s total disappearance. 

“I’m going right over now and ask Fanning 
if he knows anything about it,” announced Jimsy 
indignantly as soon as the girl had concluded. 

“Oh, don’t, please don’t,” begged his sister. 

“I don’t think it would be wise to, now,” put 
in Peggy. 

But Jimsy was not to be shaken in his pur- 
pose. Fanning was outside his hangar smoking 
a cigarette and swaggering about when Jimsy 
approached him. Perhaps the self-assertive 
youth felt a bit alarmed at the look in Jimsy’s 
eye as he stepped up, but he assumed an im- 
pudent expression and blew out a puff of smoke 
which he did not try to avert from Jimsy’s face. 

“Good morning, Fanning,” said Jimsy, bot- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 201 
tling up his temper at the other’s insulting man- 
ners, “can you give me a few minutes of private 
conversation ?” 

“Hum, well I don’t know. What’s it about?” 
inquired Harding more impudently than ever. 

“It’s about Roy, Fanning,” said Jimsy seri- 
ously. “I want you to tell me on your word 
of honor that you don’t know where he is.” 

“Oh, you do, eh? Well, you have an awful 
nerve to come to me with such questions. How 
do I know where he is?” 

This question was somewhat of a poser for 
Jimsy. That impetuous youth had approached 
the other more or less on an impulse, and now 
that the direct question was put to him he felt 
that he could not, for the life of him, put his 
suspicions into so many words. 

“Well — er — you see,” he said somewhat con- 
fusedly, “I had an idea that you might have 
seen him.” 

“Well, I haven’t, and what’s more I don’t 
want to,” snapped Fanning aggressively. He 


202 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


was quite cool now that he saw that Jimsy had 
nothing definite against him in his mind, but 
only a vague suspicion. 

“You really mean that, Fanning ?” rejoined 
Jimsy earnestly. “His sister is terribly worried. 
He hasn’t been seen since last night.” 

“Is that so?” asked Fanning with a sudden 
accession of interest; “then he can’t race to-day, 
can he?” 

“I wasn’t thinking about the race,” said Jimsy ; 
“it was Roy himself I was worrying about.” 

“Well, you may as well stop your anxiety,” 
chuckled Fanning; “how do you know he isn’t 
off on a little spree, and ” 

“That’s enough, Fanning. Roy Prescott does 
not do such low-down things. He ” 

“Oh, you mean to imply that I do, eh?” 

Fanning came forward pugnaciously. 

“I’ll tell you what it is, Jim Bancroft, you just 
take yourself away from this hangar as quickly 
as possible. I don’t want anything to do with 
you, do you understand? Tt’s none of my busi- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 203 
ness if Roy goes off and forgets to tell you where 
to find him. How do you know he hasn’t gone 
off with those jewels?” 

“What do you mean?” 

Jimsy’s tone was as angry in reality now as 
Fanning Harding’s had been for effect a few 
seconds before. 

But Fanning, in his bitter enmity toward Roy, 
could not see the danger signals in Jimsy’s hon- 
est gray eyes. 

“What do I mean?” he drawled; “why, just 
this, that the investigation of the police has 
taken a new turn in the last few days, and that 
Roy is likely to be arrested within the next 
twenty-four hours for robbery. I’ll bet he got 
wind of it and skipped out. I’ll bet ” 

“How dare you?” 

Peggy, eyes aflame, stepped up. Her bosom 
heaved angrily. 

“How dare you say such things? You — you 


coward.” 


204 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Well, I ain’t coward enough to steal a girl’s 
jewels and then ” 

“Hold on there, Fanning. Stop right there.” 

It was Jimsy’s turn. But Fanning was too 
much worked up in his vindictive anger to stop. 

“I won’t stop,” he shouted. “I’ll say it right 
out. Roy Prescott is a ” 

But before he could utter another word Jimsy’s 
fist had shot out, and Fanning’s chin happening 
to be in the way he felt himself suddenly pro- 
pelled off his feet and elevated into the air. He 
sought to recover his balance as he reeled, but 
his foot caught in a bit of turf, and whirling his 
arms about like one of those figures on the top 
of a barn he measured his length. 

“Had enough?” asked Jimsy mildly, rolling 
up his sleeves. 

“No, you despicable young whelp!” roared 
Fanning, utterly throwing aside all prudence. 
“I haven’t.” 

He leaped to his feet and rushed toward 
Jimsy. As he did so Jess gave a shriek. In the 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 205 
angry, half-crazed youth’s hand there glistened 
a long clasp knife. 

“Jirnsy ! Look out !” cried the girl. 

But before the frenzied Fan could spring upon 
Jimsy, who was utterly unprepared for the pro- 
duction of the deadly weapon, a dainty foot in 
white canvas outing shoes and silk stockings 
flashed out from under Peggy’s skirt. It caught 
Fanning as he sprang, and the next instant, for 
the second time that day, he fell sprawling on 
the ground. 


206 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE DARING O E PEGGY. 

By the time he had risen to his feet several 
of the officials of the track were seen approach- 
ing, and Fanning, with a scowl of deep disgust 
at our party, who paid little attention to him, 
shuffled off. At first Peggy thought that the 
officials had seen something of the trouble and 
would be angry. But it turned out that they 
were only coming to announce a few minor 
changes in the rules governing the race, and to 
distribute printed copies of the same. 

As they passed on one of them turned and 
remarked casually: 

“By the way, as the wind is so light we have 
decided to have the big contest an hour earlier 
than was announced, and eliminate the girls’ con- 
test, so that everybody can get home from the 
grounds in good time for dinner.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 207 

He hastened on to join his companions on 
their journey down the line of hangars, outside 
of which aeroplanes were sputtering and smok- 
ing, and excited aviators and mechanics hustling 
about. 

All at once a big biplane was wheeled out and 
soared into the air. It carried a blue and gold 
streamer. 

“That’s Steiner of the Agassiz High School 
in New York City,” explained Jimsy; “he’s con- 
fident of winning the big prize.” 

Peggy made some reply. She didn’t know just 
what. Her mind was throbbing with the idea 
that Roy’s inexplicable absence meant that harm 
had come to him, and that even if he were safe 
the advancing of the hour of the race would 
put them out of it if he did not make haste. 

“Look, there goes Banker of the Philadelphia 
Polytechnic, and Rayburn of the Boston Tech,” 
cried Jimsy the next instant as a biplane and a 
graceful white-winged monoplane shot aloft on 
trial trips, their motors exploding loudly and a 


208 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

tail of blue smoke streaming out behind them. 
A slight cheer came from the grand stands, which 
were already beginning to fill, as the boy aviators 
shot upward. 

“Oh, Roy! Roy, where are you?” sighed 
Peggy to herself, as she watched the young as- 
pirants for aerial honors swinging around the 
course. 

“I’m going over to the stand and ’phone to 
the police station,” said Jimsy presently; “they 
may have news of him over there by this time.” 

“Oh, yes, please do,” cried Peggy, as Jimsy 
hastened off. 

When he had gone the two girls turned trou- 
bled countenances to each other. 

“You poor honey,” cried Jess, “I know how 
you are suffering. But don’t worry, Peggy, I’m 
sure it will come out all right.” 

“Yes, but — but you don’t know what depends 
on Roy’s winning this race,” cried Peggy. “I 
am sure that some of our rivals in the race — I 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 209 
need not mention who — have something to do 
with his disappearance." 

“What do you mean by saying ‘a lot depends 
on it/ girlie ?" asked Jess, drawing Peggy's arm 
within her own. 

With brimming eyes Peggy told her friend 
frankly and fully what she had not before, name- 
ly, the exact circumstances of the Prescott fam- 
ily and the threat which old Harding held above 
their heads. 

“So, you see, Jess," she concluded sadly, “this 
could not have happened at a worse time for us." 

“I see that," gently rejoined the other girl, 
“but listen, dear, you may have a chance to win 
it after all if you will trust to us to find Roy." 

“Trust to you?" repeated Peggy in a puzzled 
tone. “Trust to you to find Roy?" 

“Yes, my dear, while you — go in and win the 
race !" 

“Why, what are you talking about?" gasped 
Peggy. 

“A brilliant idea that has just occurred to me. 


210 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


You are about Roy’s height, and if your hair 
was cut short you’d look enough like him to be 
his twin brother instead of his sister. But that 
doesn’t matter, for you wear goggles and a hel- 
met in driving that thing, anyway, don’t you?” 

“Yes. But, — oh, Jess, I couldn’t do that.” 

“Not even for your aunt’s sake, Peggy, and to 
show those whom you suspect that they could 
not put a Prescott out of the race, however hard 
they tried? Come into the shed with me. I am 
going to persuade you, if I can, to do a brave 
thing.” 

With their arms about each other’s waists the 
girls walked toward the hangar and entered it. 
As they did so the figure of Jukes Dade glided 
from a place of concealment close at hand, and 
slipping behind some low bushes he gained the 
rear of the Prescott shed unperceived. Once 
there he placed an ear to a crack in the struct- 
ure, from within which could be heard the mur- 
mur of girlish voices. 

Whatever he heard seemed to strike him with 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 211 
astonishment at first and then with a malicious 
glee. 

“So,” he muttered, “that's your scheme, is it? 
Well, I guess we'll be able to head that off. That 
aeroplane of yours won't go in that race if I 
can help it, and even if it did I know enough 
now to head you off from getting the big prize. 
That young Harding ought to pay me well for 
this.” 

So saying, Jukes Dade shuffled off toward 
Fanning's hangar, still chortling evilly to him- 
self. 

Jimsy returned to the shed without any good 
news. In fact, the doleful expression on his 
usually merry face would have told them that 
long before he opened his mouth. In the midst 
of the general gloom a merry face was suddenly 
obtruded through the swinging doors. 

“Hullo! hullo! young folks, what's the trou- 
ble? You look as if you were going to attend a 
funeral.” 


$12 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

They looked up to see the figure of Hal 
Homer, clad in white flannels, and with a checked 
cap on his curly head, standing in the doorway. 

“Can I come in ?” he asked, and without wait- 
ing for an answer in he came. 

“Oh, Mr. Homer,” cried Jess, fairly pouncing 
on him, “we -re so glad you’ve come; we are in 
a dreadful fix.” 

“A dreadful fix? Why, my dear young lady, I 
read in the local paper that I bought on my way 
from the depot that Roy’s machine, judging from 
the trials, was going to have things all her own 
way.” 

“So much so,” struck in Jimsy, “that it looks 
as if some of Roy’s enemies have spirited him 
away.” 

“What? I’m afraid I hardly understand.” 

The aviation instructor looked at Jimsy in a 
puzzled way, rather as if he thought the youth 
might be having some fun with him. 

“No, no, this is serious. I mean it,” spoke 
Jimsy quickly. “Roy has gone !” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 213 

“Gone!” 

“Yes. He vanished last night. But sit down 
and we’ll tell you all about it. Maybe you can 
help us out.” 

Absolutely “flabbergasted,” to use his own ex- 
pression, the good-looking young flying man 
sank down on an upturned case, while Jimsy 
went on to relate all that had occurred, with 
Peggy every now and then striking in with ad- 
ditions and corrections. 

Another ear also took in the conversation — 
that of Jukes Dade — who had seen the arrival of 
the well-dressed young aviator, and had instantly 
slipped back to his eavesdropping post to learn 
what the newcomer’s business might be. 

It might have been an hour later that a chauf- 
feur, summoned by ’phone from the grandstand, 
brought the Bancrofts’ car up to the hangar and 
Hal Homer, Jess and Jimsy emerged. 

“Drive to the police station,” ordered Hal 
Homer as he stepped in, leaving Jess and Jimsy 
behind. 


214 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

Jukes Dade, peering around a corner of the 
hangar, heard the order and grew pale. 

"Looks bad,” he muttered as the car rolled 
off; "I wonder if they know anything. If they 
do, I’m off. This isn’t a healthy part of the 
country for Jukes Dade from the minute that 
kid is found. He didn’t recognize Gid or young 
Harding, but he knew me all right. I could 
tell it by the way he looked at me, and if he’s 
found the first man they’ll hunt for is me.” 

With snake-like caution he glided behind the 
hangar once more. 

It was not long after this that the Golden 
Butterfly was wheeled out by some of the 
mechanicians attached to the track, whose ser- 
vices were furnished free by the aviation offi- 
cials. 

Jess and Jimsy emerged from the hangar at 
the same time, in company with a boyish figure 
in aviator’s clothing, leather trousers cut very 
baggily, fur-lined leather coat and big helmet of 
leather, well padded, completely obscuring the 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 215 
features. After a few words in a low tone with 
its companions, this figure clambered lightly into 
the aeroplane, leaned forward, adjusted some 
levers, and the next instant, amidst a shout from 
several hastily gathered onlookers, the Golden 
Butterfly skyrocketed upward, her engine roar- 
ing like an angry giant hornet. 

All this was watched by Fanning Harding, 
Jukes Dade, and Gid Gibbons. 

"A nice mess you've made of it,” growled 
Harding angrily to his companions. “You've 
succeeded in getting me suspected, and in trou- 
ble, while the boy is safe and sound and on the 
scene.” 

“Wonder how he got back,” grunted Gid 
speculatively ; “he must have looked a sight when 
he crawled out of that swamp.” 

“Say, Dade, you'd better be off,” said Fan- 
ning suddenly; “you were the only one of us 
whose face wasn't covered. He would swear 
to you.” 

“Oh, I ain't worrying yet,” grinned Dade 
easily. 


216 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“You’re not, eh? Well, you are a cool hand, 
rejoined Gid admiringly. “If I were in your 
shoes I’d clear out before that aeroplane lands 
again.” 

“You would, eh?” scoffed Dade. “Well, what 
would you say if I told you that that ain’t Roy 
Prescott in the Golden Butterfly at all?” 

“That you were crazy with the heat,” was the 
prompt and impolite answer. 

“Then you’d be crazy yourself. That’s his 
sister in that aeroplane, and if he don’t show 
up in time for the race she’s going to fly it her- 
self and win it.” 

If a bombshell had fallen at Fanning’s feet 
he could not have been more thunderstruck. But 
he recovered in an instant. 

“If she does I’ll protest to the judges,” he 
said angrily ; “they can’t prove that I know any- 
thing about her brother’s disappearance, and that 
Golden Butterfly won’t win this race if I can 
help it.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


217 


CHAPTER XIX. 

BROTHER AND SISTER* 

The first gleam of the summer dawn shining 
into Roy’s place of imprisonment at the bottom 
of the old well revealed to him only too clearly 
into what a trap he had fallen. The well seemed 
to be about fifty feet or more in depth, and the 
sides were smooth and slippery. 

The chill he had felt spreading through his 
limbs earlier was gone now, but a numb sensa- 
tion was setting in which did not leave them 
even when the boy wriggled his legs about. 

“Phew !” thought Roy. “I stand a fair chance 
of being turned into a pollywog or something if 
I stay here long enough.” 

Somehow, with the coming of daylight, the 
buoyant spirits of youth had returned to the boy 
and his predicament did not seem nearly so seri- 
ous as it had during the dark hours. 


218 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

But it was bad enough, as Roy realized. 
From time to time he tried shouting, but no one 
came to the edge of the well and peered over, 
although he anxiously kept his eyes riveted on 
the disc of sky above him. How long this went 
on Roy had no idea, but he had sunk into a sort 
of semi-doze when a sudden sound aroused him. 

A tinkling, metallic sound, not unlike the rat- 
tling of the chain the night before that had, in 
reality, caused his trouble. 

“Help ! Help !" shouted Roy. 

It was perhaps the five hundredth time 
he had uttered the cry since he had tumbled 
into the well. But this time there came a re- 
sponse. 

“What is it? What's the trouble?" 

The voice sounded rather shaky, and as if the 
utterer of the words was somewhat scared. 

“It's a boy who has fallen into the well," 
shouted Roy. “I'm almost exhausted. Get me 
out." 

A face suddenly projected over the well curb 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 219 
— a face which Roy recognized with astonish- 
ment as that of old Peter Bell, the hermit. 

“Mr. Bell, it’s Roy Prescott,” he shouted; 
“can you get a rope and get me out?” 

“Good heavens!” cried the hermit; “it’s the 
boy whose sister was so kind to me. However 
did you — but never mind that now. Can you 
hold on for a time?” 

“Yes, but my strength is almost gone.” 

“Well, summon up all your courage. There 
is a farm house not far off. I'll go there and 
get a rope and be back as quick as I can.” 

Without wasting more words the old man 
hastened to his little cart. He had been out 
since dawn gathering herbs and roots and had 
taken a short cut home through the field in which 
the old well was located. Muttering excitedly 
to himself, he climbed somewhat stiffly into his 
rickety conveyance and urged his old horse for- 
ward with gently spoken commands. As the ani- 
mal broke into a trot the little bell about its neck 
began to jangle not unmusically. This was the 


220 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


sound which, fortunately for him, had notified 
Roy that some human being was at hand. 

In the near distance, half hidden in trees, 
could be seen the red-roofed gable of a farm 
house. Toward this old Peter Bell directed his 
way. Farmer Ingalls was only too glad, when 
he heard of the accident, to secure a long rope, 
used in hoisting hay to the top of his big barns. 

“Bless my soul!” he exclaimed, “a lad tum- 
bled into my well! Mommer,” turning to a 
motherly-looking, calico-clad woman, “you al- 
ways told me to cover that well up, and I never 
did, and now thar’s a poor young chap tumbled 
into it.” 

“Hurry,” urged old Peter Bell; “he was al- 
most exhausted, poor lad. We must get back 
as quick as possible.” 

Summoning his two hired men the farmer set 
off at a run across the fields, easily keeping pace 
with old Peter’s decrepit horse. As they neared 
the well they began shouting, and a feeble cry 
from the depths answered them. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIHSHIP 221 

“Cheer up, my lad, weTl have you out of that 
in a brace of shakes,” cried Farmer Ingalls en- 
couragingly, as they reached the curb and peered 
over into the dark hole. 

“I hope you will,” cried Roy. “It’s getting 
pretty monotonous, I can tell you.” 

“Don’t know what mon-ount-on-tonous means, 
but I’d hate to change places with you,” agreed 
the farmer. 

Presently the rope came snaking down, with a 
loop in its lower end. Roy was directed to place 
his foot in the loop and hold on tight. When 
this had been done he shouted up : 

“All right! Haul away!” 

The stalwart farmer and his two assistants 
began to heave with all their might, while old 
Mr. Bell encouraged them. Before long, by 
dint of hard exertions, they succeeded in drag- 
ging Roy to the surface, and dripping and shiv- 
ering he could stand once more in the blessed air 
and sunlight. 

“But how in the world did you come to get 


222 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

in there ?" asked the farmer, as he paced along 
by the side of the hermit's little cart, in which 
the half-exhausted Roy had been placed. 

“Well," said the lad with a rather shame- 
faced laugh, “I’m really half ashamed to say. 
But it was this way. Some bad men who have 
an interest in putting me out of an aeroplane 
contest, of which Mr. Bell knows, had run off 
with me in an automobile. It was wrecked, and 
I escaped. I struck out toward town, as I 
thought, but as I came through that patch of 
woods by the wall I saw something that startled 
me so much that I stepped back and fell down 
the well." 

“What did you see, my lad ?" asked the farmer 
with half a twinkle in his eye. 

“Something like a story-book ghost," smiled 
Roy; “it was tall and all in white and clanked a 
chain." 

“Ha! ha! ha!" roared the farmer; “I half 
suspected as much. Why, that ghost was my 
old white mule Boxer. He managed somehow 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 223 
to snap his chain last night and we found him 
careening around the fields this morning. Don’t 
color up, my boy,” for poor Roy’s face had 
turned very red, as the hired men guffawed 
loudly; “older men than you have been startled 
at far less. And now, here’s the farm, and I’ll 
bet mommer has a fine breakfast all ready for 
you.” 

The half-famished boy ate hungrily of the 
substantial farm-house fare Mrs. Ingalls pro- 
vided for him, and as he ate he made inquiries 
about the distance to the aviation grounds, 
which, he found to his dismay, were further dis- 
tant than he had imagined. 

“I’ll never be able to make it in time without 
an automobile,” moaned Roy to himself; “what 
shall I do?” 

He cast about in his mind for some way out 
of his difficulty, but he could find none. Nor 
could the farmer help him. There were no auto- 
mobiles in that part of the country, and in a 


224 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

horse-drawn vehicle he would never br able to 
make it in time. 

All at once a queer sound filled the air. The 
atmosphere seemed to vibrate with it as it does 
on a still summer day when a threshing machine 
is buzzing away in a distant field. 

“Land o’ Goshen, what's that?" cried Mrs. 
Ingalls running to the door. 

“Lish! Lish! come here quick!" she shouted 
the next instant. 

Followed by the old hermit and Roy, Mr. In- 
galls ran to the door. But his exclamations at 
the sight he saw were drowned by Roy’s amazed 
cry: 

“It’s the Golden Butterfly!" 

“An aeroplane!" shouted the farmer. “By 
gosh, she’s like a pretty bird." 

“It’s my — our aeroplane," went on Roy ; “who 
can be in it? Oh, if it’s only Peggy I may not 
be too late after all." 

He ran out into the door yard of the farm 
house and, snatching off his coat, began waving 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 225 
it desperately. Would the occupant of the aero- 
plane see his frantic signals? With a beating 
heart Roy watched the winged machine as it 
droned far above him. 

All at once he gave a delighted shout. The 
aeroplane was beginning to descend. Down it 
came in big circles, while the farmer, his wife 
and the old hermit gazed open mouthed at it, 
as if half inclined to run. 

But as it drew closer to the ground Roy noted 
a puzzling thing. A helmeted and goggled per- 
son was driving it, evidently a boy or man and 
not Peggy at all. Who could it be? For an 
instant a queer thought flashed through his 
head. Possibly somebody had stolen it and was 
making off across country with it so as to put 
it out of the race. 

More and more rapidly the aeroplane began 
to drop as it neared the ground, and before many 
minutes it alighted in the patch of meadow in 
front of the farm house, gliding gracefully for 
several feet before it stopped. 


226 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

But the rubber-tired landing wheels had not 
ceased revolving before Roy was at its side. 

“Say, who are you, and what are you doing 
with my aeroplane ?” he demanded in heated 
tones, for the helmeted aviator had not yet even 
deigned to notice him, but seemed to be busy 
with various levers and valves. 

“Well, are you going to answer me?” sput- 
tered Roy, while the farmer, his wife, the old 
hermit and the hired men gazed on curiously. 

For answer the mysterious aviator raised his 
helmet and a cloud of golden curls fell about a 
milk-and-roses face. 

“By gum, a gal and a purty one!” cried the 
farmer capering about. 

“Peggy!” shouted Roy. 

“Yes, Peggy,” cried the girl. “Oh, Roy, what 
has happened to you? When you didn’t come 
back Jess and Jimsy persuaded me to put on 
your clothes and at least try the Butterfly out. 
But I was so miserable that I could not try her 





Peggy could go no further and half collapsed in Roy’s 
arms as he tenderly lifted her out. 


















AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 227 
out on the track, so I flew off across country, I 
saw you waving far below me and — oh, Roy !” 

Peggy could go no further and half collapsed 
in Roy’s arms as he tenderly lifted her out. 

“Great hopping water millions !” cried the 
farmer, “if this ain’t a day of wonders. This 
must be ther lad’s sister he told us about, and 
ter think she come flopping down out of ther sky 
like a seventeen-y’ar locust.” 

Peggy was quickly her usual strong, self- 
reliant self again. With indignation blazing in 
her kind eyes she heard Roy’s account of the 
happenings of the night. At its conclusion she 
announced with decision : 

“We must defeat them, Roy.” 

“Yes, but how? There’s only a scant half 
hour before starting time if you said they*’d 
changed it.” 

“Even so you can make it. You must take 
these clothes, get into the aeroplane and fly back 
to the track. If you go alone the ’plane will be 
light and you can make it in time. 0 


228 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“But you, Peggy?” 

“I guess I can borrow a dress from Mrs. In- 
galls here,” said the girl briskly. 

“Of course, you kin,” put in Mrs. Ingalls, 
but surveying her own ample form rather doubt- 
fully the while. 

“You kin give her one of daughter Jenny’s 
dresses,” said the farmer. 

“Then that is settled, thanks to you,” said 
Peggy with characteristic decision. 

They all entered the farm house, from which, 
a few seconds later, Roy emerged, clad in the 
garments his sister had donned a short time 
before. He climbed into the aeroplane amid the 
admiring comments of the farm hands, who, by 
this time, had come in from the fields, drawn 
by the wonderful airship, and stood all about it 
gaping and wondering. 

Peggy, in a dress belonging to the farmer’s 
daughter, who was away on a visit, stepped 
quickly to Roy’s side as, after glancing at the 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 229 
clock attached to the front of the aeroplane, he 
started the engine. 

As it started its uproarious song, the farm 
hands jumped back in affright. But Peggy 
clasped her brother’s hand. 

“Win that prize, Roy,” she said. 

‘Til do my best, little sister.” 

And that was all, but as Peggy Prescott gazed 
a few minutes later at the fast diminishing form 
of the speeding aeroplane she felt that all she 
had braved and dared that day had not been in 


vain. 


230 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XX. 

IN THE NICK OF TIME. 

Excitement had reached its topmost pitch on 
the aviation field. It was but a few minutes to 
starting time for the great contest, and already 
four young aviators had their winged craft in 
line before the judge's stand. 

Engines were belching clouds of acrid blue 
smoke heavily impregnated with oily, smelling 
fumes. The roar of motors shook the air. 
Folks in the grandstand and on the crowded 
lawns excitedly pointed out to one another the 
different machines, all of which bore large num- 
bers. 

Excited officials, red-faced and perspiring, 
bustled about importantly, while from the top 
of the judge’s stand a portly man bellowed occa- 
sional announcements through a megaphone. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 231 

Suddenly he made an announcement that 
caused a hum of interest. 

“Machine number seven — mach-ine num-ber 
sev-en! Fanning Harding, owner, has withdrawn 
from the race,” he announced. 

A buzz of comment went through the crowd. 
Jess, Jimsy and Hal Homer, standing in a group 
by the empty Prescott hangar, exchanged as- 
tonished glances as they heard the news. What 
did that mean? Fanning had been swaggering 
about, boasting of his wonderful aeroplane, and 
now it appeared at the eleventh hour he had 
decided not to enter it. 

“Must have had an accident,” opined Jimsy. 

“Maybe he gave it one of those pleasant looks 
of his,” suggested Jess. 

“Wherever can Peggy be,” exclaimed the girl 
the next minute ; “she's been gone for more than 
an hour. I do hope nothing has happened to 
her.” 

“Not likely,” rejoined Jimsy, although he 


232 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


looked a little troubled over the non-appearance 
of the Golden Butterfly. 

“The police said they had a dragnet out in 
every part of the vicinity/' volunteered Hal 
Homer, who had returned only a few minutes 
before from the station house. 

Bang! 

A bomb had been shot skyward and now ex- 
ploded in a cloud of yellow smoke. 

“Three minutes to starting time/' cried Hal 
Homer anxiously; “where can Miss Prescott be?” 

“Look!” cried Jess suddenly, dancing about. 
“Oh, Glory! Here she comes!” 

Far off against the sky a speck was visible. 
Rushing toward them at tremendous speed it 
swiftly grew larger. The crowd saw it now and 
great excitement prevailed. The word flew about 
that the machine was the missing Number Six. 
Would it arrive in time to participate in the 
start and thus qualify? This was the question 
on every lip. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 233 

Hal Homer jumped into the auto and sped 
over to the judge’s stand. 

“Can’t you delay the start for five minutes?” 
he begged. 

“Impossible,” was the reply, 

“But that aeroplane, Number Six, has been de- 
layed by some accident. If you start the race 
on time it may not arrive in time to take part.” 

“Can’t be helped. Young Prescott — that’s the 
name of the owner, isn’t it ? — shouldn’t have gone 
ofiF on a cross country tryout.” 

Back to the hangar sped Hal, where Jess and 
Jimsy, almost beside themselves with excitement, 
were watching the homing aeroplane. 

“She’ll be on time,” cried Jimsy as the grace- 
ful ship swept over the distant confines of the 
course and came thundering down toward the 
starting point. 

A great cheer swept skywards as the aero- 
plane came on. 

“She’ll make it.” 

“She won’t” 


234 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Where has the thing been?” 

“Why is it so late?” 

These and a hundred other questions and re- 
marks went from mouth to mouth all through 
the big crowd. 

“It’s all off,” groaned Jimsy suddenly. 

He had seen the signal corps man, whose duty 
it was to fire the bombs, outstretching himself 
on the ground awaiting the signal to touch off 
the starting sign. 

But even as Jimsy spoke, the Golden Butterfly 
made a swift turn and, amid a roar from the 
crowd, shot whirring past the grandstand and 
alighted in front of the stand on the starting 
line. 

Hardly had the wheels touched the ground 
before the judge in charge of the track raised 
his hand. A flag fell and the signal corps man 
jerked his arm back, firing the bomb that an- 
nounced the start. 

B-o-o-o-o-m! 

As the detonation died out the aeroplanes shot 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 235 
forward, rising into the still air almost in a body, 
like a flock of birds. It was a spectacle never 
to be forgotten, and the crowd appreciated it to 
the; full 

But up in the grandstand, in inconspicuous 
places, sat three persons who did not look as 
well pleased as those about them. 

“So the girl is going to take a chance,” mut- 
tered Fanning Harding; “well, so much the 
worse for her. If she wins I’ll put in a protest 
and compel her to unmask.” 

“Won't that Prescott and Bancroft bunch be 
astonished when they find out that we are on to 
their little game,” chuckled Jukes Dade; “it’ll 
be as good as a play.” 

“That’s what it will,” grinned Gid. 

“They’ll find out that they can’t humiliate me 
and not suffer for it,” grated out Fanning. 

“Wonder where that girl went to on her try- 
out spin?” inquired Dade. 

“It doesn’t make much difference where, but 


236 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


she certainly came back with a grandstand play,” 
rejoined Gid. 

“Well, if she wins the race it will be our turn,” 
Fanning assured him. 

They then turned their attention to the con- 
test, two laps of which had been made while 
they were talking. 

Number One, a small white Bleriot type of 
monoplane, seemed to be making the pace for 
the rest, and word flew about that it had gained 
half a lap on Number Four, its nearest com- 
petitor so far. 

“But it will be a long contest,” said the wise- 
acres in the crowd, “and accidents may happen 
at any time.” 

On the fourth lap Number One was seen to 
descend over by the hangars. Something had 
^one wrong with its lubricating valve. By the 
time the difficulty was adjusted it was hopelessly 
out nf the race. Number Three was the next to 
drop out. This machine was driven by one of 
the high school lads, and his contingent of root- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 237 
ers in the grandstand set up a woeful noise as 
he dropped to earth in the middle of the course. 
A broken stay had made it dangerous for him to 
remain longer in the air. 

This left number Six, the Prescott machine. 
Numbers Two, Four and Five still in the air. 

“Number Six has gained a lap on Number 
Five !” went up the cry presently as Number Five, 
so far the leader, was seen to lose speed on the 
fifteenth lap. 

The Golden Butterfly was in truth doing mag- 
nificently, but try as her operator would it did 
not seem possible to shake off Number Five, an- 
other high-school boy's machine, which clung 
persistently to its stern. Number Four alighted 
for more gasolene on the twentieth lap and lost 
a round of the course thereby. A few seconds 
later Number Two was also forced to descend 
with heated cylinders. This practically left the 
race between Number Five and the Golden But- 
terfly. Round and round they tore, neither of 
them gaining or losing a foot apparently. The 


238 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

thunder of their engines grew deafeningly mo- 
notonous and the crowds watched them as if hyp- 
notized by the whirring aerial monsters. 

All at once, though, a mighty roar proclaimed 
that something was happening, and gazing down 
toward the further end of the track it could be 
seen that Number Six, the Golden Butterfly, had 
made a daring attempt to gain on the other 
machine, and had succeeded. 

So close did the two aeroplanes edge to the 
end pylon in the effort to secure the inside plane 
that for an instant it looked as if a crash must 
result. 

A thunder of cheers greeted the Golden But- 
terfly as she swept by the grandstand on the 
next lap. 

“That girl can drive all right, ” grudgingly 
admitted Fanning Harding. 

“Yes, and she’s pretty as a picture, too,” put 
in Gid Gibbons; “guess you were stuck on her 
once, weren’t you, Fan?” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 239 
“Oh, shut up,” growled Fanning angrily. “It 
makes no difference to you, does it?” 

The aeroplanes had been racing for an hour 
now, and neither showed any signs of slacking 
speed. On the contrary, as they “warmed up,” 
they seemed to go the quicker. All at once an 
incident occurred which brought the crowd to 
its feet yelling and cheering as if wild. 

The driver of Number Five, as the two ma- 
chines passed the grandstand, had made a delib- 
erate attempt to prevent the Golden Butterfly 
overhauling him by jamming his aeroplane over 
toward a pylon and directly in front of the But- 
terfly. For an instant it looked as if a crash must 
be inevitable, but just as the spectators were be- 
ginning to turn pale and the more timid to hide 
their eyes, the Butterfly was seen to make a 
graceful dip and dive clean under the other aero- 
plane. It was a magnificent bit of aerial driving, 
and the crowd appreciated it to the full. A roar 
and a shout went up, to which the driver of 


240 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

Number Six responded with a wave of a gloved 

hand. 

Ten minutes later Number Five, two laps be- 
hind, and with a leaking radiator, dropped out 
of the race, leaving the Golden Butterfly the 
winner. Fanning Harding was white as a sheet 
as he saw an official with a black and white check- 
ered flag step out into the field. This was the 
signal to the Golden Butterfly, which was still 
in the air, that the race was over. 

As the Prescott aeroplane dropped to earth 
in front of the grandstand amid rapturous plau- 
dits, the son of the Sandy Bay banker delib- 
erately arose and made his way toward the 
judges’ stand, to which Hal Homer and the Ban- 
crofts, the core of a shouting, yelling mob of 
enthusiasts, were already conducting the daring 
driver of Number Six. 

Special policemen made a path for the aviator 
and his friends, while cries of : 

“Take ofif your helmet !” 

“We want to see you!” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 241 

“What’s the matter with Number Six?” and a 
hundred other cries arose. 

But the driver of Number Six did not respond, 
and with his helmet still on his head was con- 
ducted before the judges to receive their con- 
gratulations. The helmet was still in place when 
Fanning Harding came shoving through the 
crowd and finally reached the little group. 

“As a competitor I demand that Number Six 
take off his helmet!” he cried. 

The judges turned to him in astonishment. 

“This is most unseemly, sir,” said one of them ; 
“no doubt in good time Mr. Prescott will take 
off his helmet.” 

“Oh, no, he won’t,” shouted Fanning, at whom 
all the group was now gazing. “He won’t, I 
tell you, and for a good reason, too. That's not 
Roy Prescott at all, but his sister Peggy." 

But the words had not left his lips before 
Jimsy, with a quick motion, jerked off the avia- 
tor’s helmet and disclosed the handsome, per- 
spiring features of Roy himself. 


242 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

In the few minutes he had had, Roy had found 
time briefly to explain how he and his sister had 
changed garments. 

“Well, I guess that settles that question,” cried 
Jimsy triumphantly, as a mighty shout went up. 

“It certainly does/’ said one of the officials. 
“Where is that young scamp? Officer, find the 
young man who made that accusation and bring 
him here to explain himself.” 

But the disgruntled Fanning had dived off into 
the crowd the instant he saw into what a tre- 
mendous blunder he had fallen. And although 
a strict search was made for him he was not to 
be found. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


243 


CHAPTER XXL 

THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP. 

In the midst of the hum and excitement and 
the crossfire of questions which immediately fol- 
lowed, there occurred a startling interruption. 
From the further side of the grounds there arose 
a cry, which swelled in volume as it advanced. 

“Fire! One of the hangars is on fire!” 

The group immediately broke up and orders 
and commands flew thick and fast. In the midst 
of the excitement Roy and his chums found an 
opportunity to slip away. 

“There’s the fire. Off by our hangar !” 
shouted Hal Homer, pointing across the field. 

By the side of the Prescott’s green aero shed 
a big cloud of smoke was ascending, mingled 
with yellow flames. It seemed to be a hot blaze. 

“It’s Fanning Harding’s hangar!” cried Roy 


2U 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


suddenly; “come on, let's go over and see what 
the matter is." 

“I've got the car right here," said Jimsy. “I'll 
get you over in a jiffy.” 

Soon they were speeding across the field to- 
ward the blaze. In the meantime an emergency 
fire corps, composed of men employed on the 
grounds, had attached a line of hose to a hydrant 
and were drenching the flames. Such good work 
did they do that it was not long before they had 
the fire under control. 

As soon as it was out our party, which had 
managed to get through the lines formed to keep 
back the curious, gazed into the ruins with some 
interest. 

“Why, say!" cried Jimsy suddenly, “the place 
was empty." 

“So it was!" cried Roy in astonished tones, 
“except for that big box kite over in the corner 
there. Whatever kind of a game of bluff has 
Fanning Harding been playing?" 

“I guess I can imagine it," struck in Hal 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 245 
Homer. “From what you have told me his little 
game was to bluff you into thinking he had a 
fine airship that could beat yours, and in that 
way induce you to sell out to him.” 

“By George, I never thought of that!” ex- 
claimed Roy, “but — hullo, here comes Peggy in 
the farmer's wagon!” 

He ran through the crowd to the side of the 
wagon, which had been driven in by Farmer 
Ingalls. 

“You dear, dear boy, I've heard all about it al- 
ready,” cried Peggy, throwing her white arms 
about Roy's neck, while Miss Prescott, whom 
they had picked up at the hotel, sat by, hardly 
knowing whether to laugh or to cry, as she 
expressed it later. 

I am not going to describe that reunion by 
the side of Fanning Harding's burned hangar, 
but each reader can imagine for herself what a 
joyous one it was. 

“I know a place in town where they sell the 
bulliest sodas and sundaes,” cried Jimsy sud- 


246 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

denly. “Everybody come up there in the car and 

we'll celebrate!" 

“In one moment, Jimsy," said Roy. “There's 
one thing still I don't understand about this 
whole business, and that is this. It is clear 
enough that Fanning Harding was bluffing about 
having an aeroplane in that shed, but how was 
it that he made a night ascent with red and green 
lanterns ?" 

“Oh, you mean the time you saw him in the 
air at night, the time we went to Washington?" 
asked Jimsy. 

“That's it How do you account for it?" 

“Give it up," rejoined the other lad. 

“Perhaps this may help to explain it." 

Hal Homer came up carrying two much 
scorched lanterns he had found in the debris of 
the hangar. One was red, the other was green. 

“I don't quite see," said Peggy, but Hal, with 
an apology interrupted her. 

“It's plain as day to me," he said; “these two 
lanterns attached to that big box kite on a breezy 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 247 
night would certainly give any one the impres- 
sion that an aeroplane was sailing about. Hard- 
ing knew you would be flying home in that vi- 
cinity on that night and rigged up this contri- 
vance to delude you.” 

“A phantom airship !” cried Peggy. 

“That's about the size of it,” put in the slangy 
Jimsy, “and I think that friend Homer here has 
hit on the correct solution.” 

“But if that were so, why did Fanning fit up 
a shop out at Gid Gibbons's place?” asked Jess 
in a puzzled tone. 

“I guess that shop had no more in it than this 
hangar,” was Roy's reply. “Gid Gibbons is a 
bad character who would do anything for money, 
and I think it likely that he fell in with Hard- 
ing's schemes because he had no great liking for 
any of us.” 

“Looks that way,” agreed Jimsy. 

“But that doesn’t explain that ruby which 
Hester was wearing,” thought Peggy to herself 
as the laughing party of young folks drove off 


248 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

up the town, followed by Farmer Ingalls and his 
good wife, who had been invited to take part in 
the little celebration of their triumph. Here and 
there they were recognized and cheered, but 
among the crowds on the sidewalks all discuss- 
ing the thrilling race, there were three that took 
no part in the good natured jubilation. Who 
these were we can guess. 

Jukes Dade at Fanning’s side had to listen to 
some savage abuse as they slunk along, avoiding 
as far as possible the crowds. 

“I told you to burn up the hangar so that there 
would be no trace left of the bluff we had been 
putting up,” he growled. 

“Well, didn’t I soak the place with gasolene,” 
protested Dade; “how was I to know a kid would 
come along and give the alarm before it got 
fairly alight?” 

“It’s been a dismal failure all the way 
through,” lamented Harding, as if he had been 
engaged on some praiseworthy enterprise. 

“Incidentally,” purred Jukes Dade, but with 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 249 
a menace under his silky tones, “I’d like to see 
some of that money you've been promising me 
all along." 

“You’ll have to wait till I see my father," 
snapped out Fanning savagely. 

“Well, see him quick then, or I may have to 
take other means of getting it," snarled Dade. 

“What do you mean?" 

“Why, by telling a few things I know. About 
the loss of a certain lady’s jewels, for instance." 

Fanning went white as ashes. 

“You sneak! You’ve been listening at key- 
holes !’’ he cried. 

Dade returned him look for look defiantly. 

“Well, what if I have?" he snarled. “I’ve got 
a hold on you now, Master Harding. I’ve got 
you where I want you and I’m going to keep you 
there." 


250 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XXII. 

JIM BELL OE THE WEST. 

Some days after the events described in the 
last chapter, and following the receipt by Roy 
of a pink check for $5,000.00, a strange visitor 
arrived at the Prescott home — their very own 
home now, for the mortgage had been paid off, 
much to Mr. Harding's disgust. 

The stranger was a bronzed man and wore a 
broad brimmed sombrero which would have 
marked him anywhere as a Westerner. Of Miss 
Prescott, who, in a new lavender silk dress, came 
to the door, he inquired if he could see Mr. Roy 
Prescott. 

Miss Prescott smiled at this ceremonial way 
of mentioning her young nephew, but directed 
the stranger with the breezy Western manner 
to the workshop at the rear of the house, where 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 251 
Roy and Peggy were “fussing/* as Jess called 
it, with their beloved Golden Butterfly. 

‘'Good morning/’ he said, dofling his sombrero 
with a sweep and a flourish ; “can I have a word 
with you?” 

“Certainly. Two or three if you want them,” 
rejoined Roy, while Peggy gazed in some sur- 
prise at the queer-mannered newcomer. 

“The fact is,” went on the stranger, “that I’m 
in the market for aeroplanes such as yours. I 
happened to be on the train some nights ago 
when you came flying through the air with two 
belated young passengers. Well, sir, thinks T, 
if such a machine can make a train on schedule 
time it ought to be good for other purposes. I 
took the liberty of making some inquiries about 
you from your two young friends after the train 
had started, but asked them not to mention the 
matter to you yet awhile. 

“In New York I looked up my partner and we 
discussed the plan and he agreed with me that 
it was a good one. Now, T’m down here this 


252 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

morning to offer you $10,000 outright for the 
use of half a dozen of your aeroplanes, and a 
salary of $5,000 as instructor to the aviators I 
shall have to have to run them. How does the 
offer strike you?” 

“I — er — well, I hardly know what to say,” re- 
sponded Roy; “you see, it's a bit sudden. It 
rather takes my breath away.” 

“Well, that’s a way we have in the West,” was 
the response, “but maybe I’d better tell you a 
little more about myself. My name is Jim BelL 
I’m worth a couple of million or thereabouts. 
You can verify that by referring to the First 
National Bank of ’Frisco, or the East Coast 
Bank of New York City. I’ve got interests in 
cattle, wool and mines, but the very best mining 
proposition I ever struck I ran across out on the 
Nevada alkali desert in a range of barren hills. 
We were prospecting there when I was told about 
it. After untold hardships I found the spot and 
staked it out. But there arose the difficulty of 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 253 
transportation. There was the gold all right, 
but how was I to get it out?” 

”1 came East to see if I couldn't get some 
sort of automobile built that would travel the 
desert, but when I saw that aeroplane of yours 
droop down at that jerkwater junction, I real- 
ized I had found what I wanted. Now, are 
you on?” 

“ You'll have to give us a little time to think, 
sir,” rejoined Roy; “it's a very flattering offer 
and Fd like to accept it, but Fll have to think 
it over.” 

“Quite right, quite right,” rejoined the other, 
“nothing like thinking it over. If every one did 
that fewer accidents and mishaps would occur 
in life. Take my own life, for instance. Fve 
often thought Fd go back to see the old folks, 
but in that case I thought it over too long, for 
when I went to the old home the other day it 
was all gone. Not a stick or stone remained. 
My parents were dead and my only brother was 
no-one-knew-where.” 


254 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

Jim Bell’s voice shook strangely. He blinked 
his eyes once or twice and then resumed briskly: 
'‘You see, I left home in a mighty queer way. I 
was out in a boat with my brother when it got 
overturned. He was drowned, I guess, but any- 
way I found myself drifting about on the Sound. 
I managed to seize hold of a bit of floating drift- 
wood and in that way kept my head above water 
till a ship came along and picked me up. 

"She was a big vessel bound for China and 
her captain was a brute. On our arrival in the 
Far East he bound me out as a sort of appren- 
tice to a rich Chinaman living in the interior. 
I was with him for ten years before I escaped. 
I worked my way to the coast, got another ship 
and headed for California. 

"On the way across there was a mutiny and 
I saved the life of a wealthy passenger, who 
turned out to be a mining man and who, when 
he died two years later, left me most of his prop- 
erty. That gave me my start in life, and now 
I’m a millionaire. But Fd give it all if I could 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 255 
get some news of poor brother Peter and find 
out if he is dead or alive/’ 

“Maybe we can help you,” cried Peggy, her 
eyes shining and her white hands clasped ex- 
citedly. 

While the rugged Westerner had been talk- 
ing the story of the old hermit came back to her. 

“What do you mean?” asked the other; “do 
you know where my brother is?” 

“Pm not certain,” cried Peggy, “but the old 
hermit, Peter Bell, is he almost beyond a doubt.” 

“My brother a hermit!” cried the wealthy 
mining man. 

“If it is your brother,” put in Roy, “I hope for 
your sake it is. But his story tallies absolutely 
with yours. He told us that after he had missed 
you in the water he thought that you were 
drowned. Returning home he was shunned on 
every side, for the villagers accused him of hav- 
ing deserted you to save his own life.” 

“My poor Peter,” breathed the miner. 

“Miserable and made morose by the contempt 


25G THE GIRL AVIATORS 

he met with on every side he became a hermit and 

now lives in a hut near the town of Acatonick.” 

“How long does it take to get there? I must 
lose no time in finding out,” exclaimed Jim Bell 

“You can get there in two or three hours from 
here if you can catch a train,” said Roy. “If you 
like Til phone for you and find out.” 

“Say, boy, that would be mighty white of you. 
I tell you it hurts to think of poor Peter living 
all alone like that in poverty while I’ve been rich 
all these years. But it wasn’t for lack of trying 
to locate him, for Pve advertised and had de- 
tectives searching every likely place.” 

Roy found that there would be a train to 
Acatonick in about half an hour, and their new 
found friend hastened off, after warm farewells, 
to catch it He promised to be back within a 
few days and let them know of his success, and 
also inform them of any further arrangements 
he might be prepared to make about his offer. 

“Well,” said Roy, after he had gone, “the 
skies are beginning to clear, sis.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


257 


Peggy sighed. 

“Yes, but there is still one thing to be cleared 
up, Roy ," she said. 

“I know — the disappearance of those jewels/' 
rejoined Roy. “Oh, if only we had something 
more to go upon than mere suspicions." 

“Perhaps we will have before long," said 
Peggy, musingly. 


258 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

UK£ THIEVES IN THE) NIGHT. 

'‘Heard anything of Fanning Harding?” asked 
Jimsy, one bright morning, as he stopped his car 
at the Prescotts’ gate and he and Jess got out. 

"Not a thing since that day at Acatonick,” re- 
sponded Roy, who with his sister had hastened 
to meet the other two. "Why, Jess, how charm- 
ing you look this morning.” 

"Meaning that you notice the contrast with 
other mornings,” laughed Jess merrily; "oh, Roy, 
you are not a courtier.” 

"No, I guess not yet — whatever a courtier may 
be,” was the laughing rejoinder; "but I always 
like to pay deserved compliments.” 

"Oh, that’s better,” cried Jess; "but have you 
heard anything more from Mr. Bell?” 

For, of course, Jimsy and Jess by this time 
knew about the visit of the mining man. Mr. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 259 
Bancroft had looked up his standing and charac- 
ter and had found both of the highest. On his 
advice Roy had about decided to accept the 
unique offer made him by the Western million- 
aire. 

Peggy shook her head in response to Jess's 
question. 

“No, dear, not one word," she said; “isn't it 
queer? However, I guess we shall, before long. 
Oh, I do hope that that poor old hermit turns 
out to be Mr. Jim Bell's brother." 

“So do I, too," agreed Jimsy. “It would be 
jolly for you and Roy to think that you and your 
aeroplane had been the means of righting such a 
succession of mishaps." 

“Indeed it would," agreed Peggy, warmly; 
“but now come into the house and have some ice 
cream. It's one sign of our new prosperity that 
we are never without it now." 

“I've eaten so much of it I'm ashamed to look 
a freezer in the face," laughed Roy, as they 


260 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

trooped in, to be warmly welcomed by Miss Pres- 
cott. 

In the midst of their merry feast the sound of 
wheels was heard and a rig from the station 
drove up. Out of it stepped a venerable old gen- 
tleman in a well-fitting dark suit, with well 
blackened shoes and an altogether neat and pros- 
perous appearance. 

Peggy and Jess who had run to the window 
at the sound of wheels saw him assisted to the 
ground by a younger man whom they both recog- 
nized with a cry of astonishment. 

“Mr. Jim Bell. But who is the old gentle- 
man?” 

“Why it's — it’s the hermit !” cried Roy. 

“Good gracious, is that fashionable looking 
old man a hermit ?” gasped Jimsy. 

“He was, I guess, but he won't be any more," 
laughed Peggy, happily, as she tripped to the 
door to welcome the visitors. The Prescotts had 
a maid now ; but Peggy preferred to be the first 
to greet the newly united brothers for it was 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 261 
evident that Jim Bell’s quest had been success- 
ful. 

What greetings there were to be sure, when 
the two brothers were inside the cool, shady 
house! The old hermit’s eyes gleamed delight- 
edly as he gallantly handed Miss Prescott to a 
chair. As for Jim Bell, he was happy enough to 
“dance a jig,” he said. 

“I’ll play for you, sir,” volunteered Jimsy, go- 
ing toward the piano. 

“No, no,” laughed Jim Bell; “I’m too old for 
that now. But not too old for Peter and I to 
have many happy days together yet, eh, Peter ?” 

He turned tenderly toward the old man whose 
eyes grew dim and moist. 

“I wish dad and mother could see us now,” 
he said, sadly, as his thoughts wandered back 
over the long bitter years he had spent in soli- 
tude. 

“Perhaps they can,” breathed Peggy, softly; 
“let us hope so.” 

“Thank you,” said the old hermit, with a sigh. 


262 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

But the conversation soon turned to a merrier 
vein. And then it drifted into business. Mr. 
Bancroft happened to stop in on his way into 
town and after a long talk with Jim Bell he seri- 
ously advised Roy to accept the mining man's 
proposal. 

‘Til put you up a factory any place you say,” 
said the millionaire, ‘‘and you can turn out all 
that we require. I’ve a notion, too, that they 
might be used as general freight carriers over 
arid stretches of country where there are no rail- 
roads, and feed and water for stock is scarce.” 

“Not a doubt of it,” said Mr. Bancroft. 

Before he left the preliminary papers had been 
drawn up and signed, and Roy Prescott found 
himself fairly launched in business. But in all 
this success he did not forget how much he owed 
to Peggy. Recent events had softened the boy’s 
character and reduced his conceit wonderfully. 

“I owe it all to you, little sis,” he said that 
evening. 

“I don’t know about all." cried Jimsy, who was 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 263 
present ; “but you do owe a whole lot to her, old 
man, and I’m glad to see you acknowledge it at 
last.” 

“I always have,” cried Roy, turning rather 
red, though. 

“Hum,” commented Jimsy; “I’m not so sure 
about that.” 

But Peggy put her hand over his mouth and it 
took Jimsy what seemed an unduly long time to 
remove it. As for Jess, she stalwartly declared 
that if it hadn’t been for Peggy there would 
have been no Golden Butterfly, no five thousand 
dollar prize, and, as she said, “no nothing.” But 
to this loyal little Peggy would not assent. In 
her eyes Roy would always remain the most 
wonderful brother in the world. 

Soon after this Jimsy and Jess took their leave 
and it was not long before the last light was 
extinguished in the happy little household and 
deep silence reigned. About midnight, as nearly 
as she could judge, Peggy awoke to find the 


264 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

moonlight streaming into her room and upon her 

face. 

“Good gracious, I’ll get moonstruck,” she 
thought, and throwing on a wrap she went to the 
window to pull down the shade which had been 
raised to admit the cool air. 

The window commanded a view of the work- 
shop, in which the Golden Butterfly was kept, and 
Peggy, as she looked out, was astonished to see 
that the door of the work shop which housed the 
precious craft was open. 

“Goodness !” thought the girl, “how careless 
of whoever left it that way. The night air will 
rust the stay-wires and the steel parts of the 
motor terribly. I guess I had better slip down- 
stairs and close it.” 

Partially dressing herself the girl noiselessly 
tiptoed down the stairs and out into the moon- 
lit night. 

For one instant she was startled as she thought 
she saw a dark form dodge swiftly behind a cor- 
ner of the workshop as she appeared. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 265 

“I must be getting as nervous as poor Roy 
when the mule frightened him down the well,” 
she thought to herself as she advanced toward 
the shed. Reaching it she raised her hand to 
shut the door when, to her astonishment, she dis- 
covered that it had apparently been locked, — at 
least a broken bit of the padlock dangling from 
the portal seemed to indicate this. 

“Somebody’s filed that through,” was Peggy’s 
thought. But before she could make any further 
investigation a pair of hands grasped her from 
behind, pinioning her arms to her side. At the 
same instant an old coat was flung over her head 
and pulled close, stifling her outcries. 

“We won’t hurt you if you keep quiet,” hissed 
a voice in her ear, “but if you don’t, look out for 
trouble.” 

“What are you going to do?” cried Peggy, 
through the muffling medium of the coat. 

“You’ll soon find out,” was the rejoinder,” 
“Jukes, bring her inside the shed and keep her 
quiet.” 


266 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

Jukes! The name struck a familiar chord in 
Peggy’s memory. She knew now why the face 
and form of the man hanging about Fanning’s 
“Phantom” hangar at the aviation field had 
seemed so familiar to her. It was Jukes Dade, 
the man her father had peremptorily discharged. 
Peggy could not repress a shudder as she thought 
of the desperate character of the man. 

Suddenly, as her captors half dragged, half 
carried her into the workshop, her body grew 
limp, and she fell in an insensible heap forward. 
She would have struck the ground had not a 
pair of hands caught her. 

“She’s fainted,” cried Jukes, alarmedly. 

“So much the better,” growled out his com- 
panion; “she won’t give us any trouble now. 
We can do what we’ve got to do and get away. 
Got the files ?” 

“Here they are,” responded Jukes; “just let 
me lay her down here while I hand ’em to you.” 

He deposited Peggy’s limp form on a long 
box on which some sacks had been strewn. The 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 267 
next instant the sharp rasping of a file could be 
heard in the silent workshop. 

“I guess this Golden Butterfly will have its 
wings clipped for some time to come,” chuckled 
Juke’s companion, whom Peggy, of course, had 
not yet seen. 

“I guess that’s right,” laughed the other ; “just 
wait a jiffy while I lay down this gun of mine and 
I’ll give you a hand.” 

He stepped over and put down a wicked-look- 
ing pistol on the rough bench on which Peggy 
lay. Then he turned and began to help his com- 
panion. The two worked by the light of a dark 
lantern which they had brought with them on 
their rascally expedition to ruin the Golden But- 
terfly. 

But suddenly a slight noise behind him made 
Jukes turn his head. As he did so he gave a 
startled yell. Peggy, her eyes bright and wild- 
looking, was standing up behind them. In her 
hand was the pistol which Jukes had laid down 
beside her when she had seemed to faint a few 


268 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

moments before. But Peggy's faint had been a 
simulated one. Realizing that harm was meant 
to the Golden Butterfly, she had imitated uncon- 
sciousness as a means to possible escape and giv- 
ing the alarm. 

“Don't move, either of you," said Peggy, in 
a firm voice. “I'm only a girl, but I can use a 
pistol." 

But Jukes and his companion, with a wild yell, 
made a dash for the door. 

“Good gracious, I can’t shoot them," thought 

Peggy- 

“Help! help!" she began to cry at the top of 
her voice. 

But the next instant the whirr and roar of 
a motor from the road apprised her that the two 
rascals had made their escape in an auto and 
that pursuit was useless. Thus it was that when 
the aroused household came pouring excitedly 
out of the house they found a brave, if a rather 
tremulous, girl awaiting them with a pistol in her 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 269 
hand on the stock of which were engraved the 
initials “F. H ” 

“So that’s who Jukes’s companion was,” ex- 
claimed Roy, angrily. “Oh, if you had only 
awakened me, sis.” 

“My dear Roy,” rejoined Peggy, with dignity, 
“don’t you think that I am capable of taking care 
of myself?” 


270 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

HESTER MAKES AMENDS — CONCLUSION. 

A few days later Peggy borrowed Jess’s car 
and went out for a long, lonely spin along the 
country roads. She wanted to think. Roy and 
Jimsy were at home repairing the damage 
wrought to the Golden Butterfly, which, it turned 
out, was very slight. 

She was driving along a pretty stretch of road 
when she came across a veritable fairyland of 
delicate pink wild roses intertwined with honey- 
suckle and woodbine. 

“Oh,” cried Peggy, who simply worshipped 
flowers; “how beautiful; I must take some of 
these home. They’ll make all our garden things 
look mean and shabby.” 

Stopping the car she alighted and was soon 
deep in her occupation of gathering the fragrant 
posies. Suddenly she was startled by the sound 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 271 
of a sobbing voice close at hand, and the next 
minute an angry male voice could be heard also. 

“I tell you I'll do nothing of the sort,” the 
man was saying; “why should I go and own up 
that I’m a thief or the next thing to it? At any 
rate they'd have me put in jail for all the at- 
tempts I've made to interfere with their aero- 
plane.” 

“It's Fanning Harding!” gasped Peggy, 
amazedly, “and Hester Gibbons,” she added the 
next instant as the girl's voice sobbed out : 

“Well, if you won't, I will. I've been weak and 
foolish but I'm not wicked. I'm going to tell 
Peggy Prescott all about it to-day and ask her 
to forgive me.” 

“You'd better not,” Fanning Harding's tone 
was threatening now. 

“Well, what if I do?” 

“You won't, I tell you. I'll have you locked up 
and charged with the theft yourself.” 


“You wouldn't dare.” 


272 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

“Oh, yes, I would. You’ve got that ruby and 
that is pretty good proof that you stole it.” 

“It isn’t so and you know it. I have been a 
weak, silly girl, that’s all, but I see it all now. 
And just to think if I hadn’t overheard you and 
my father talking that I might have gone on 
admiring you.” 

“Tell me you won’t go to the Prescotts with 
the story or I’ll ” 

“Help! Help!” 

The shrill cry came in Hester’s tones. 

Without quite realizing what she was doing, 
Peggy stooped and picked up a heavy bit of stick 
that lay in the road beside her. Then she stepped 
forward around a bend which had hitherto hid- 
den the other two from her sight. As she ap- 
peared Fanning had his hand on Hester’s wrist 
and was wrenching it cruelly. 

“Oh ! oh ! Fanning, please let go !” Hester was 
crying. 

“I will if you’ll promise not to tell.” 

“There’s no need for her to promise that, Fan- 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 


273 


ning,” said Peggy, “for I have already heard 
enough for me to know that she has some con- 
nection with the disappearance of the Bancroft 
diamonds/’ 

“Oh, Peggy!” cried Hester, running to her 
side. 

“See here,” began Fanning, swaggering for- 
ward threateningly toward the two girls. 

“My brother is just ’round that corner,” said 
Peggy, boldly; “he’ll be here in a minute. If 
you don’t wish to be arrested for what you did 
the other night you had better get away from 
here, Fanning Harding.” 

A scared look crossed Fanning’s face and he 
turned and fairly took to his heels. 

“Now, Hester,” said Peggy, kindly, “come 
with me to my car. It’s just ’round the corner.” 

“Oh, Peggy, I’ve been a bad, wicked girl, but 
Pm not a thief. Truly I’m not.” 

“I believe that,” said Peggy, “but what do you 
know about the disappearance of the diamonds?” 

“That I have them all here. Not one is gone,” 


274 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

was the amazing reply, and Hester, drawing a 
handkerchief from her bosom, unfolded it and 
displayed to Peggy’s amazed eyes a glittering 
collection of gems. In the midst of the flashing 
gems gleamed the big ruby which Peggy had 
once seen Hester so carefully conceal. 

“Hester, you have a duty before you,” said 
Peggy slowly ; “get in my car and come with me 
to my home and then tell me all about this mys- 
tery which has puzzled us so long.” 

But the girl shrank back. 

“I can’t. Oh, Peggy, with you it’s different, 
but before the others. Your brother ” 

“Poor fellow, he has been under unjust sus- 
picion on account of these very jewels,” Peggy 
reminded the agitated girl. 

“Oh, give me time. Not now. I ” 

“No, it must be now,” said Peggy, with gentle 
insistence. “Come !” 

Something in her manner seemed to strike the 
girl. 



Hester unfolded it and displayed to Peggy’s amazed eyes 
a glittering collection of gems. 



























. 







' 




















































, 




AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 275 

“You’ll promise no harm will come to me or 
my father through this?” she said. 

“Is your father very deeply implicated in the 
matter ?” asked Peggy seriously, looking straight 
into the other’s eyes. 

“No. On my word of honor, no,” was the re- 
sponse. 

“Then I’ll promise,” said Peggy. 

“Very well, then, I’ll tell you all I know about 
the matter,” said Hester, as the girls got into 
the car. 

An hour later, in the library of the Prescott’s 
home, Peggy, Roy, Jimsy and Jess were gathered 
listening to Hester’s story. Her eyes were red 
from crying and she hesitated frequently, but her 
manner showed that she was telling the truth. 

On a table lay the glistening jewels. Jess had 
counted them and found that they were all there. 

“I didn’t find out about the jewels till one night 
Fanning, who has always said he admired me,” 
said Hester, with downcast eyes, “gave me that 
big ruby there. At least he didn’t give it to me 


276 THE GIRL AVIATORS 

but he said I could wear it. Of course I had 
heard about the disappearance of the jewels from 
the auto, but somehow I didn’t associate this 
token of Fanning’s with it. 

“It was not till a week ago that I learned the 
true state of affairs. I overheard a conversation 
of Fanning’s with my father in which he 
threatened him with arrest if he, father, didn’t 
give him some money Fanning said he had 
hoarded up. I knew dad didn’t have any and T 
asked him after Fanning had gone to tell me all 
about it. 

“He isn’t such a bad man at bottom and when 
I pleaded with him he told me the whole story. 
On the day of the jewel robbery, for it was a 
robbery, Morgan and Giles ” 

“Our butler and groom!” cried Jess. 

“Yes. Well, they were taking a stroll in the 
fields and happened along just as the car was 
wrecked. They knew from servants’ gossip that 
you had been to town to get the gems and when 
they saw you lying unconscious and the wallet 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 277 
near at hand, the temptation was too much for 
them and they stole it. 

“They determined to hide it in some woods 
near my father’s place ; but as they entered them 
Fanning Harding came along on his bicycle. He 
saw them enter the woods and became suspicious. 
Leaning his bicycle against a tree he followed 
them and saw them bury the gems under a tree 
which they marked. 

“He noted the tree, too, and then, without their 
seeing him he remounted his motor cycle and 
came on to see my father about that business of 
the hoax aeroplane. He said he wanted to bluff 
you into selling the Butterfly to him. 

“Well, father agreed, for a fair sum of money, 
to help him, and we started right into town. At 
that time I thought it was a good joke, and we 
were both laughing as we came in sight of the 
scene of the accident.” 

“So that’s what they were laughing at,” 
thought Roy, recollecting how mystified he had 
been when he saw them together. 


278 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


“I don’t know whether it was Fanning’s man- 
ner or what,” said Hester resuming, “but my 
father began to suspect that he might know some- 
thing about the jewels, and one day he followed 
him into the woods when he went to see if the 
jewels were still under the tree. Father made 
him own up when he caught him red-handed like 
that, but in the meantime Morgan and Giles also 
had arrived. Well, the four of them were all 
equally guilty, so they agreed to stick together 
and say nothing till the excitement about the loss 
had blown over. But Fanning in the meantime 
said that he must have the ruby to let me wear.” 

“I guess he wanted to show me that he was 
as rich as he was always pretending to be. 

“A few days later they had a terrible fright. 
Morgan, who carried the leather wallet in his 
pocket for lack of a better place to put it, dropped 
it on the porch of the Bancrofts’ house where, as 
you know, it was found before he realized his 
loss and could recover it. 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 279 

“When Fanning came back from the aviation 
meet and began boasting of the mean tricks he 
had played you and how he had kidnapped Roy, 
I began to see what a despicable fellow he was. 
Then, too, he was always threatening dad, and 
so I decided to make a clean breast of it all and 
save poor dad any more trouble, for Fanning has 
dictated to him ever since they shared the secret. 

“I went to the wood and found the marked tree 
I had heard them talk about so often and with the 
jewels in my hand I started for your home, 
Peggy, for I didn’t dare to go to the Bancrofts’. 
But Fanning, it seems, had got suspicious, and 
followed me. He overtook me at the spot where 
you encountered us.” 

“Does he know you have the jewels?” asked 
Roy. 

“Not yet,” rejoined Hester; “I believe if he 
had he would have been violent.” 

“Well, Hester,” said Peggy, as the girl con- 
cluded her strange narrative, “you have cleared 
up a puzzling mystery.” 


THE GIRL AVIATORS 


•580 

“Did you ever hear such a yarn in all your 
born days?” asked Jimsy. 

“And every one of the jewels is there,” cried 
Jess. “I tell you what I'll do, Fll just call up the 
house and tell mother about it. Won't she be 
pleased?” 

But Mrs. Bancroft was not at home, and 

“Oh, miss,” gasped the servant, who answered 
the 'phone, “we're all upset. Morgan has run off, 
miss, and so has Giles. They took some of the 
silver with them. Mary and me tried to stop 'em 
but they pointed a pistol at us and scared us inter 
high strikes.” 

“I'll 'phone the police at once,” cried Jess, in- 
dignantly. “They might have got off if it hadn't 
been for that.” 

But although a good description was furnished, 
Morgan and Giles were not captured and Mr. 
Bancroft was not ill pleased. 

“They will not venture into this part of the 
country again,” he said, “and we are well rid of 
such rascals.” 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 281 

Hester, in whom Mrs. Bancroft took an in- 
terest after the girl had told her with her own 
lips her strange story, is now at a girls' boarding 
school, having been sent there at Mrs. Bancroft's 
expense. 

As for Fanning Harding, his father sent him 
West soon after the lad's innate rascality had 
been revealed, and from reports Fanning is work- 
ing hard to redeem the past and make himself a 
good and useful man. 

“And so the mystery of the phantom airship 
and the missing jewels is all cleared up," said 
Peggy to Jess one day a short time after the 
events just described had transpired. 

“Yes," rejoined her chum, “and the air seems 
clearer and fresher somehow. It is terrible to 
have a dark cloud of suspicion hanging over 
one." 

“It is, indeed," rejoined Peggy; “and now, as 
Roy leaves in a few days for the West, let's all 
take a good long spin. You and I will go in 


282 - THE GIRL AVIATORS 

the Golden Butterfly while the boys can run along 

below us in the auto/' 

But Jess looked a bit doubtful. 

“Wouldn’t Roy like to go in the aeroplane?” 
she said. 

Peggy broke into merry laughter. 

“Oh, you sly puss,” she exclaimed. “Very 
well, then you and Roy in the Golden Eagle and 
Jimsy and I in the auto.” 

“Suits me,” cried Jimsy, throwing his arm 
around his sister’s waist, “but I thought you were 
the girl aviator of the family, Peggy.” 

“So I am,” laughed Peggy, “but I am willing 
to yield my place for once.” 

“Well, if youTl excuse my horrid slang,” 
laughed Jimsy, “I think I may say we’ve all been 
‘up in the air’ for the last few weeks. But it’s 
all over now and we’ll settle down to humdrum 
life once more.” 

“It’s been jolly, though,” protested Peggy. 

“With some parts left out,” put in Jess. 

But although no adventures just like those 


AND THE PHANTOM AIRSHIP 283 
we have related happened again to the Girl Avia- 
tors, they were due to encounter some more 
strange experiences. In fact, both Peggy and 
Roy and their friends were on the brink of some 
odd happenings, the narration of which must be 
postponed to another volume of this series. 

What these complications and adventures, both 
merry and perilous, proved to be will be set down 
in full detail in "The Girl Aviators on Golden 
Wings,” a breezy tale of our aerial maids. 

THE End. 




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Helen’s 

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By 

John Habberton 


Interesting ! 
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Girl in Ten Thousand, A. 
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Girls ol the True Blue. 
Heart of Gold, The. 
Honorable Miss, The. 
How It All Came About. 


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Palace Beautiful. 

Polly, a New-Fashioned Girl 
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LITTLE PRUDY’S CAPTAIN HORACE. 
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Sophie May 


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Orators of the American Revolution — Whose 
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Paul Jones, Life of — American Naval Hero. 

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Philip H. Sheridan, Life of — “Little Phil”; Famous 
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Week's Siooh# 
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